A 38-year-old jewellery shop owner and his wife committed suicide after poisoning their seven-year-old daughter in Devanahalli near Chikkasanne Gate on Friday morning.
The bodies were found in a car parked near the Chikkasanne Gate. Police said the family consumed cyanide to end their lives and suspect financial crisis to be the reason for taking the extreme step. The deceased have been identified as Sandeep, his wife Archana (36) and daughter Aditi.
The couple was from Chintamani in Kolar district. But for the last 12 years they lived in a rented house at Srinagar 4th Main near Hanumanthanagar. Sandeep was running Jnanakshi Jewellery Shop at Gandhi Bazar Circle. Archana was a housewife while Aditi was a second standard student at Bishop Cottons School on St Mark’s Road.
Police said the incident came to light around 9.30 am when some passersby noticed the car which had been parked for a long time. A passerby went near the Honda Brio (KA-05-ML-861) and saw the bodies. He alerted the police, who rushed to the spot and found the trio.
Sandeep left behind a suicide note for the police stating that they were depressed and there is no need for the police to investigate the case. The note also has phone numbers of his friend Venkatesh Babu and his parents. Sandeep requested the police to inform Babu first and then his parents.
A senior police officer said Sandeep also sent a message to Babu’s phone in the early hours of Friday saying he is ending his life and this would be his last message. But Babu noticed the message after 7 am and tried to contact his parents.
The police said Sandeep may have consumed cyanide soon after sending the message to Babu. “When we spoke to his parents they said there was no strong reason which could have made the family take this extreme step. But Sandeep suffered huge losses after starting the jewellery shop,” police said.
Sandeep’s father Gopalakrishnaiah told the police that the couple shared a good relationship.
Devanahalli police are investigating. Girish, the house owner said Sandeep was earlier staying with his brother Satish in Basaveshwaranagar and later he along with his family shifted to Srinagar.
Sandeep usually used his two-wheeler and took the car out only when he was going with his family, Girish said. “On Thursday night around 11.30 pm I noticed he parked his car outside. I thought he was going somewhere,” he said.
Anuradha, a neighbour, said Aditi always used to play with her daughter Tanisha. Aditi, who was a bright student, was selected for a show in a popular children’s channel and won an award.
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