Debt-racked family hugs death in City

Burdened by debt, a man and his wife hanged themselves, after strangling their two children, police said.

The bodies of Manjunath, 39, and his wife, Sathyavathi, 35, were found hanging from the same fan in a room in their house at Hulimavu on Tuesday. The couple’s children Prithviraj, 12, and Rishika, 4, were found dead on the bed in the other room.

Manjunath, a weaver, and his family lived in a rented house at Weavers’ Colony at Hulimavu, said the police.

The couple left a two-page death note near the children, wherein they stated Manjunath had taken loans that he was unable to repay, more so as he was not able to get work in the recent past. The couple wrote that they decided to end their children’s lives, too, as they did not want them to become destitute after their parents’ death.

They repeated the same content in two pages and signed it.

Manjunath worked as a weaver on 7th cross, while Sathyavathi was employed at Sai Garment factory in the same locality. Prithviraj and Rishika were students at Holy Spirit School at Kalena Agrahara. The tragedy may have taken place late on Monday night, but came to light on Tuesday morning by the son of the landlord who went to tell the couple to collect drinking water, said the police.

Manjunath’s parents Shivaiah and Lalithamma, who lived with the couple, were not at home, and were visiting their other son at Cubbonpet.

Shivaiah told the police that Manjunath had availed of loans from various sources and had purchased an electronic card punching machine. He had also invested on weaving, but incurred heavy losses. Later, he opened a bakery, but lost money in that business too.

The police booked the couple under section 302 of the IPC for murdering their children.