Karnataka: 5-member family dies by suicide fearing social backlash over police grilling

Five members of a family have died by consuming poison at Kolar in Karnataka. The police said the family had earlier been questioned in connection with the abduction of a new-born. However, the family took an extreme step as the police directed them to return the baby to the mother

Kolar (Karnataka): Five members of a same family, who were questioned by police in connection with the abduction of a newborn, have ended their lives by consuming poison on Sunday. It is suspected that the entire family attempted suicide, fearing social backlash over police grilling.

The family was rushed to RL Jalappa Hospital in the district for treatment but they succumbed to death on Tuesday. The deceased were identified as Muniyappa (70), his wife Narayanamma (65), son-in-law Babu (45), daughter Pushpa (33), and granddaughter Gangotri (17).

Speaking about the incident, SP Decca Kishore Babu said that Pushpa's friend, left her new-born baby in Pushpa's custody as she was afraid of breaking the news of her love-marriage to her parents. However, when she returned to ask for her baby, Pushpa denied having her baby. Upset over Pushpa's reaction, the woman filed a case of child abduction and the police interrogated the deceased family members.

The police directed them to bring back the baby and hand it over to the baby's mother, which made the family to take the extreme step of ending their lives.