Mangaluru: Police save man and daughter who tried to end lives after domestic dispute

Mangaluru: Police save man and daughter who tried to end lives after domestic dispute

Mangalore Today News Network

Mangaluru, Nov 5, 2025: A dramatic incident unfolded in Kavoor, where a man allegedly tried to end his life along with his four-year-old daughter by jumping into the sea. Thanks to the swift action of the Panambur Police, both lives were saved just in time — after officers tracked him down using a video he had shared on WhatsApp.

The incident involved Rajesh alias Santu (35), a resident of Shantinagar, Kavoor. He had married a woman from Bajpe about seven years ago, and the couple have a four-year-old daughter. Recently, Rajesh had grown suspicious of his wife’s fidelity, leading to frequent quarrels and alleged instances of physical abuse.

Following yet another argument on Monday evening, Rajesh reportedly took his daughter to the Thannirbavi Beach, recorded a video of himself saying, “Let’s die, no one needs us; your mother isn’t right,” and sent it to his sister and other relatives through WhatsApp. The video soon spread and reached the Panambur Police around 7 p.m.

Although Rajesh’s face wasn’t visible in the video — only the shadows of a man and a child walking toward the sea — Inspector Mohammed Saleem and his team quickly began investigating. They suspected the location was Thannirbavi Beach and launched an extensive search, even analyzing background visuals from the video.

With help from the Cyber Police, they traced Rajesh’s phone number to his home in Shantinagar, Kavoor. Acting immediately, Inspector Saleem dispatched a team led by officers Fakirappa Sharanappa and Rakesh to the spot. When they arrived, the house was locked from inside. Receiving no response, the officers broke open the door — only to find Rajesh preparing to hang himself, with his daughter beside him.

In a tense moment, the officers rushed in and pulled both to safety. “If we had been two minutes late, both would have died,” said Inspector Saleem.

He recalled that the video, shot in Tulu, showed only the pair walking toward the sea while the child’s faint plea — ‘Don’t die, Papa’ — could be heard, a moment that deeply moved everyone involved in the rescue.

Later, the Kavoor Police called both husband and wife to the station for counseling. The wife, however, refused to reconcile, saying she wanted a divorce and would raise the child herself.

Although the man’s act would earlier have warranted a case under Section 309 (attempted suicide), that provision has now been removed from the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). Police therefore let the matter rest after counseling.

The timely and dedicated effort of the Panambur Police was widely praised, including by Police Commissioner Sudheer Kumar Reddy, for saving two precious lives from tragedy.