- By Abhishek Sheoran
- Wed, 02 Apr 2025 05:45 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In a shocking incident that emerged from Karnataka’s Chikmagalur, a 40-year-old man committed suicide after killing three members of his family, including his 7-year-old daughter. One person was also injured in the incident.
The accused was a resident of Kithlikonda village near Balehonnur in Chikmagalur district. According to Chikmagalur Superintendent of Police (SP) Vikram Amate, cited by Jagran.com, accused Ratnakar Gowda may have taken this step due to a long-standing family dispute.
Notably, Ratnakar and his wife, Swathi, were married for eight years and had a daughter. The accused's wife had been living separately in Mangaluru for the past two years due to a marital discord. "It seems that the accused carried out this incident due to emotional distress after his wife left him," Balehonnur Police Inspector N Ravish said.
On Tuesday, when the accused's daughter returned from school, she asked her father about her mother's whereabouts after being questioned by her classmates. This deeply affected him. In a fit of rage, he went to his wife's house around 9:30 PM and shot his mother-in-law, sister-in-law and daughter.
The deceased have been identified as Ratnakar’s mother-in-law, Jyothi (50), his sister-in-law, Sindhu (24), and his six-year-old daughter, Moulya.
The police reported that before committing suicide, the accused recorded a selfie video expressing his despair over his wife's separation. During the attack, the accused's sister-in-law's husband was also shot but survived. He is currently undergoing treatment.
A case has been registered at the Balehonnur Police Station, and an investigation is underway.
