MANGALURU: The Mangaluru city police arrested a 50-year-old woman for abetment to suicide after four members of a family died recently. The arrested, Noorjahan, is a matchmaker. The family, Nagesh Sheriguppi (30), his wife Vijayalaxmi (26) and two children Sapna (8) and Samarth (4) were found dead at their house on Wednesday in the city. Nagesh reportedly smothered his wife and poisoned his two children and later hanged himself. Before ending his life, Nagesh had sent a voice message to ASI K Chandrashekar, accusing Noorjahan of trying to convert his wife, who worked as domestic help at her house and also blamed her for their death.
Mangaluru Police Commissioner N Shashi Kumar on Saturday said preliminary investigation revealed that Vijayalaxmi was working at Noorjahan’s apartment. “Vijayalaxmi had told Noorjahan about her husband’s torture and the latter had advised her to divorce Nagesh. Noorjahan had assured Vijayalaxmi of finding a suitable groom for her. Nagesh came to know about Vijayalaxmi planning to convert to Islam along with children and the couple often fought over it.
In October, Vijayalaxmi left the house and started living with Noorjahan, while Nagesh filed a missing complaint. He went to Noorjahan’s house and fought with her and Vijayalaxmi. They were reunited six days later,” the commissioner said. The evidence of Noorjahan’s promise of finding a new partner for Vijayalaxmi and other circumstantial evidence revealed that Noorjahan had abetted suicide, he said. Noorjahan was picked up the same day as the death of the family. She has been booked under Section 306(Abetment of suicide) and was arrested on Friday. She was produced before court and remanded in judicial custody.