Skeletal remains of five found after 4 years in abandoned house, death note hints at suicide pact

CHITRADURGA: The skeletal remains of five people were found in an abandoned house on Jail Road in the city, which had been closed for four years. Four of the skeletons were found on a bed and another in an adjacent room. The skeletal remains of a pet dog was also found dead outside the house.

It is said that the main door of  the house was suddenly found open on Thursday evening and a person who had consumed alcohol at a nearby bar entered the house. Upon seeing the skeletons, he ran out of the house in fear.

A death note was found in the house during preliminary investigation. A relative of the deceased, Pavan Kumar, has lodged a complaint at the Layout police station following the  discovery.

A retired engineer, Jagannath Reddy, and his family members including wife Premakka, daughter Triveni, sons Krishna Reddy and Narendra Reddy were living in the old house for many years.

Pavan Kumar, a relative of the deceased, said, the Reddy family has not been in touch with them for almost two years. “They did not come to our house and we too hadn’t gone to their house. Jagannath Reddy and his family have not been seen for several years. There is suspicion about the death of the deceased, as they may have died at home three years ago and a complaint has been registered”, he said.

Superintendent of Police Dharmendar Kumar, DySP Anilkumar and other senior officers visited the spot. Forensic team, fingerprint experts and doctors were also called in and the skeletons have been sent for medical examination.

Locals told Public TV about the discovery and said there were only four people who lived in that house for the last 10 years. “No one would come out of the house. They did not communicate with neighbours too. They would finish all their work early in the morning”, they said.

During the preliminary investigation, a calendar of the year 2019 was found in the house, giving rise to suspicion. Also, among the members of that family, only Babu Reddy was in contact with a neighbour, and none of the others ventured out. The locals have demanded that a proper investigation be conducted and justice be provided.

A suicide note that the family left behind four years ago was also found, according to the police.

A case of robbery had been registered against Narendra Reddy, son of Jagannath Reddy. Narendra Reddy was an engineer with a private company in 2013. In the same year, his vehicle was seized near Bidadi and he was arrested in dacoity case on the charge that he was involved in a robbery case along with his friends. He was also lodged in jail for a few days. In 2019, the family committed suicide, leaving a death note, it is suspected.

Kollilakshmi, Jagannath Reddy’s sister-in-law, visited the place upon receiving information about the discovery of the skeletal remains of five people in the house. Speaking later, she said that Jagannath Reddy’s family members were suffering from depression as they were upset that their children had not get married on time. “They may have died due to depression”, she felt.

Lalita, the sister of the deceased Prema, said they have not been in touch since eight years. “I did not get any phone calls for the last years. They had not been in touch with us for many years. When I tried to contact them, no one responded to the calls. Then, I thought they may have joined an old-age homes somewhere.  None of her children got married because of my sister’s mistake”, she said.