Six of a family end lives by jumping into village pond

Karnataka: Six members of a family committed suicide by jumping into an agricultural pond in Doranahalli hamlet of the Shahpur taluk on Monday.

Bheemaraya Surpura (45), Shanthamma Surpura (36), Sumithra (12), Sridevi (13), Shivaraja (9), and Lakshmi (4) are identified as the deceased. The remains were recovered from the pond by expert divers and officials from the Fire Services and Emergency Department.

‘They may have drowned themselves about 10 a.m. today, but we learned about it after their remains were discovered floating on the surface,’ a police official told PTI.

Dr C B Vedamurthy, Superintendent of Police, stated that Bheemaraya Surapura had no land in his name and was farming 2 acres belonging to his mother. ‘It has been revealed that he borrowed Rs 20 lakh for horticulture produce. Perhaps the family ended life out of desperation,’ he added.

Another instance occurred in Ballari when a woman committed suicide by plunging into a water sump after killing her two children. Sunitha (28), her son Yashwanth (4), and daughter (aged 15 months) have been identified as the deceased. The extreme step is thought to be motivated by marital strife.