Kundapur: 37-year-old man dies by suicide after jumping into Koti Theertha pond

Mangalore Today News Network

Kundapur, Sep 23, 2026: A 37-year-old man allegedly died by suicide after jumping into the Koti Theertha Pushkarani at Koteshwara near Kundapur on Tuesday night. His body was recovered from the pond on Wednesday morning.

The deceased has been identified as Padmanabha Acharya, son of Mahabala Acharya and a resident of Hodrali Kolanakatt in the Koteshwara area.

According to sources, Padmanabha had been working at a tiles factory in Kundapur but had not reported to work for the past four months. He left home on Tuesday morning but did not return by night. His two-wheeler was later found parked near the temple. Despite a search by family members, there was no trace of him.

His slippers and cap were found on the eastern steps of the Koti Theertha pond, raising suspicion that he may have jumped into the water. A search operation was launched on Wednesday morning.

Local residents, including Markodu Sudhir Kumar Shetty, Prabhakar Shetty and Satyanarayana Manja, who regularly swim in the pond, searched the area by boat and located the body at around 9 am.

Later, diver Eshwar Malpe and his team reached the spot and, with the assistance of local swimmers, recovered the body from the pond.

The body was shifted to the Kundapur Government Hospital for a post-mortem examination. The exact reason for the suspected suicide is not known.

Kundapur police visited the spot, conducted an inspection and registered a case.