Man dies, wife and 2 children survive in suicide bid at Hampi

BALLARI: A man died while his wife and two children survived after they consumed pesticide in a suicide pact at the bathing ghat in Hampi close to the Saraswathi temple on Wednesday. The family hails from Kottur in Vijayanagar district.

Chandraiah worked at the SBI customer service point at Kottur.

Chandraiah (42), his wife Sowmya (35) and two children, Bhavani (12) and Shivakumar (10) had come to Hampi on Tuesday and went sight-seeing. On Wednesday morning, they went to the outskirts of Hampi where they attempted suicide. They were rushed to a hospital, but Chandraiah died, Vijayanagar Police Superintendent Dr Srihari Babu said.

Chandraiah was working at the SBI Customer Service Point at Kottur for the last six years and had borrowed loans of about Rs 10 lakh. His wife Sowmya said they attempted suicide as they were being harassed by the lenders to repay the loans. She also said that Chandraiah had not received his salary for the last one year.

The SP said that prima facie, it seems that the family attempted suicide due to the burden of loans. “We are investigating the case from all angles and will record the statement of the family members”, he added. A case has been registered at the Hampi police station.