Karnataka: Couple Kills 11-year-old Daughter, Then Self At Resort; 'Suicide Note' Cites Financial Crisis

A family of three was found dead at a resort in Kaggodlu village near Madikeri in Karnataka’s Kodagu district on Saturday morning. The couple allegedly killed their 11-year-old daughter, following which they killed themselves.

The man, identified as Vinod Babusenan, a 43-year-old resident of Kerala’s Kollam, along with his 38-year-old wife GB Abraham and their daughter Jane Maria Jacob were found dead at the resort, a Times of India report said.

Police, while citing a suicide note, said that financial crisis led them to take this extreme step. The couple were running a business near Kollam.

The family had arrived at the resort on Friday evening in an SUV and checked into their cottage at around 6 pm. The family went out for a walk around the resort after resting for a while. According to Anand, the manager of the resort, the family was reportedly in good spirits when they arrived.

While out for a walk, the family went to a nearby shop before returning for dinner. Vinod had told the resort staff that they would check out at 10 am on Saturday, however on the day when they did not do so, the staff went to check on them.

One of the staffer knocked on the door at the checkout time — 10 am — but nobody answered the door. The staff team, thirty minutes later, again tried knocking.

This time, they spotted the family’s slippers lying outside the cottage, leading them to grow suspicious. It was when they looked through the window that they saw the couple hanging, a police official said.

Soon after the resort alerted the Madikeri Rural police station, following which policemen arrived at the spot. The bodies of the deceased have been sent for postmortem and their relatived have been informed about the incident.

Police have registered a case and are looking into the matter.

Just a few days ago, a doctor working at the Railway Hospital in Uttar Pradesh’s Rae Barelli killed himself after allegedly murdering his wife and two children.

The incident came to light on Tuesday (December 5) night when the doctor’s — Arun Kumar Singh — colleagues reported the matter to the police after no one from the family answered their calls.

Priliminary investigation suggested that the doctor was suffering from depression. The people living in the neighbourhood had said that the family was last seen on December 3.

Late last month, five members of a family were found in Sadashivanagar in Karnataka’s Bengaluru in a suspected case of a suicide pact.

According to the police, financial problems and alleged harassment by money lenders are believed to be the reason behind the extreme step.

Police registered a case of murder and abetment to commit suicide against seven people including the deceased couple — Gharib Sab (aged 46) and wife Sumaiya (33) — for strangling their children — Hazira (14), Mohammed Subhan (11) and Mohammed Muneer (9).

Police also found a video made by Gharib Sab before hanging himself, requesting state Home Minister G Parameshwara and police officers to punish those who forced them to take the drastic step.

(With PTI inputs)