Main accused in suicide pact arrested
A private financier, who allegedly poisoned his sister and her two children to death and then consumed poison along with his mother, has been arrested by the Jnanabharati police.
He was taken into custody on Sunday, after discharge from a private hospital. “We are interrogating him to ascertain the cause for the incident,” the investigating officer told Deccan Herald. Gopalkrishna’s mother, Parvathamma, has also survived the suicide bid and has been shifted to a ward from the Intensive Care Unit.
Gopalkrishna claimed huge debts drove him to take the extreme step. He did not give convincing answers when asked why he poisoned his sister Varalakshmi, niece Sinchana and nephew Mohan. He decided to offer poison to them so that no one tortures them in future over his debts.
His family hailed from Bannerghatta village. He ventured into finance and landed in trouble due to poor management of resources, he told the police.
Two days ago, some moneylenders had sought their money back from Gopalkrishna. They allegedly warned him of dire consequences if he failed to repay. The warnings may have triggered the suicide pact, the police suspect.
On why he chose Jnanabharati area for the suicide pact, Gopalkrishna said place was not the priority for him. He wanted to leave Bannerghatta area where money lenders were after him. But the cops are not convinced.
It is not known whether he had discussed the matter with his mother and sister or whether he offered them poison without their knowledge.
On February 13, Gopalkrishna drove an astrologer’s car towards Jnanabharati. He mixed some white powder in soft drinks and offered it to his mother, Varalakshmi, Sinchana and Mohan and then consumed it himself.
The police have registered cases under Sections 302 (murder), 307 (attempt to murder) and 309 (attempt to commit suicide) of the IPC against Gopalkrishna.
