Tragedy in Pakshikere: Man ends life after killing wife, child

PTI, Nov 9, 2024, 5:22 PM IST

Mulki: A 32-year-old man from Mulki is suspected to have murdered his wife and child before taking his life.

According to the Mulki police, Karthik Bhatt, a resident of Pakshikere, Mulki, allegedly took his own life by jumping in front of a moving train near Kalapur railway station, at around 12.40 pm on November 8.

Mulki Police registered an unnatural death report.

Initially, authorities were unable to identify the disfigured body, as no identification was found at the scene. However, a two-wheeler key discovered nearby led officers to search for any unattended vehicles in the vicinity.

On Saturday, around 1pm, police located a vehicle that matched the key, and found an RC card inside with a photograph that helped them identify Bhatt.

When the police went to Pakshikere in Mulki, tracing the address provided in the RC, they found his wife Priyanka (28) and son Hruday (4) dead in the house. They appear to have been stabbed.

Police also learnt that Karthik lived with his father Janardhan and mother in the same house, although they have reportedly been estranged for the last three years, occupying separate rooms and leading separate lives.

Karthik’s parents, who work at a nearby hotel, stated that they had returned home around 4pm on the day of the incident but did not see Karthik and assumed he and his family were away as his room was locked.

Police said the initial investigations point to the possibility of Karthik, who was allegedly under some kind of economic stress, murdering his wife and child, before dying of suicide.

A death note was reportedly found at the scene, in which Karthik confessed to killing his wife and son before ending his own life.

Police also observed a saree tied to the ceiling fan, suggesting an attempted suicide within the room itself.

The Mulki Police are currently investigating the circumstances leading up to this incident and said more clarity will prevail once the postmortem reports arrive.