Three of family attempt suicide over property dispute in Arkalgud, one critical

HASSAN: Three people of one family attempted suicide over a property dispute at Fort Street in Arkalgud town on Monday evening. While one of them is critical at the district hospital in Hassan, the two others are undergoing treatment at the Arkalgud taluk hospital.

The victims are Shivamma (55), Sumanth (30) and Divya (25). About six years ago, Shivamma’s husband Kantharaju had pledged his four acres of land at Varasanahalli Koppal and taken a loan of Rs 4 lakh from retired BMTC staffer Manjunath. In the interim, Kantharaju had died.

The family of Kantharaju had approached Manjunath to release the land while promising to repay the loan, but Manjunath refused to let go of the land. On Monday, the two families had a heated argument over the issue when Shivamma, her younger son Sumanth and Divya consumed poison in front of Manjunath’s house.

Following the incident, Shivamma’s elder son Nanjunde Gowda has lodged a complaint with the Arkalgud police who visited the spot. Further investigation is under way.