KSRP cop kills autistic son, hangs himself

A 45-year-old head constable committed suicide after killing his autistic son in a lodge in Cottonpet.

The victims has been identified as Vishwanath and his eight-year-old son, Sanchith. The Cottonpet police found the bodies in the Ganesh Mahal lodge.

According to the police, Vishwanath, attached to the Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), Mysore unit, had stated in his suicide note that he felt depressed to see his son suffer from autism and so decided to take the extreme step.

The police said Vishwanath used to regularly bring his son to Bengaluru for treatment at Victoria Hospital.

On Saturday, too, the father-son duo came to the city and were staying at the lodge. Vishwanath had even presented his identity card at the reception.

Their room remained closed through Sunday and when it was not opened till Monday afternoon, the staff at the lodge grew suspicious. They became alert when a foul smell started emanating from the room and broke open the door, only to find the bodies.

The police suspect that Vishwanath strangled his son to death and later hanged himself from the ceiling using an electric wire.

Vishwanath had married Divya 10 years ago and they were residing at Nethaji Nagar in Mysuru. Sanchith is their only child, and he was diagnosed with autism two years ago. Vishwanath and Divya had visited several doctors for Sanchith's treatment, but all their efforts were futile. This made them depressed.

Missing complaint

According to Divya, Vishwanath had told her that he was taking Sanchith to the park and left home. When there was no sign of them, she registered a missing person complaint, through her father-in-law, who is a retired PSI.