Representative image showing a dead body.
Credit: iStock Photo
Dharwad: In a tragic incident, four members of a family died by suicide after jumping into an open well at Chikkamalligawad village near Dharwad on Friday.
The deceased have been identified as Vithal Shindhe (80), his son Narayana Shindhe (42)and Narayana’s son Shivakumar (12) and daughter Shrindhi (11).
According to preliminary information, Narayana left home on Friday morning on the pretext of dropping his children to school. He took his father along and halted near a well close to the Yellamma Temple, where he allegedly pushed his children into the well and later jumped into it along with his father. Financial distress is said to have driven him to take the extreme step.
The incident came to light when cowherds noticed the bodies floating in the well and alerted the villagers, who then informed the Dharwad Rural Police.
Narayana was employed at a bakery in Dharwad, while his wife Shilpa worked as a caretaker for an elderly woman in the city. She had left for work before the incident occurred. Family members said Narayana had been under severe stress due to mounting debts.
Superintendent of Police Gunjan Arya and other officials visited the spot. The bodies have been shifted to the Civil Hospital for post-mortem.
A case has been registered at Dharwad Rural Police Station, and investigation is on.