Land dispute drives couple to suicide ; neighbour arrested

Land dispute drives couple to suicide ; neighbour arrested

Mangalore Today News Network

Puttur, Oct 6, 2013: In a tragic incident reported from  Mura near Kabaka in the taluk, a couple  have ended their lives by consuming poison, allegedly frustrated by the  harassment of a neighbour over a land dispute.

The deceased are Balasubrahmanya Bhat (48) who worked for a private firm and his wife Hemavathi(40).  It is suspected that the wife had first committed suicide and the husband followed her. The couple’s seven year old son has been rendered orphan.

The incident took place when Akshara Sharma(7), the only son of the couple who was a class two student of Mura school, had been to school. The little boy on his return home on Saturday afternoon, found his parents on the floor   battling for life and immediately alerted neighbours. However, by the time neighbours could rush to the spot, Hemavathi had breathed her last.  Balasubrahmanya Bhat later died in the hospital.

Based on a death note left behind  by Hemavathi in which she had stated that   a neighbour named Jinnappa was responsible for  her death, police have arrested Jinnappa Poojari. He has been remanded to judicial custody.

 Sources say  Hemavathi had consumed poison by the time Balasubrahmanya arrived home for lunch. He, on seeing his wife’s condition had then reportedly chosen to end his life too.