BENGALURU: S V Padmanabh (54), well-known cartoonist, allegedly committed suicide at his house in Kathriguppe on Wednesday.
He was in debt, and under pressure from recovery agents, one of his friends told Express.
In a tragic irony, his last published cartoon took an apparent dig at celebrity defaulter Vijay Mallya. ‘Like loan recovery vehicles, we could soon have loan recovery planes,’ the caption reads, as two businessmen stand around, with a plane flying in the background. In Karnataka, cars flaunting a ‘Loan Recovery Vehicle’ banner visit debtors to publicly shame them.
Known for his sharp wit, Padmanabh was President of the Karnataka Cartoonists’ Association. He had worked for several reputed Kannada dailies, doing pocket cartoons for their front pages.
Police said he had sent text messages to his wife and a friend before he allegedly hanged himself. His wife rushed home on seeing the message. But it was too late. Padmanabh is survived by his wife and a son. Many of his admirers posted condolence messages on social media.