Six of a family end lives by jumping into agriculture pond

Six members of a family ended their lives by jumping into the agriculture pond in Doranahalli village of Shahpur taluk on Monday.

The deceased have been identified as Bheemaraya Surpura (45), Shanthamma Surpura (36), Sumithra (12), Sridevi (13), Shivaraja (9) and Lakshmi (4). Expert divers and personnel from the Fire Services and Emergency Department retrieved the bodies from the pond.

Superintendent of Police Dr C B Vedamurthy said that Bheemaraya Surapura had no land in his name and he was cultivating 2 acres belonging to his mother. “It has come to light that he had borrowed Rs 20 lakh for horticultural crop. The family may have ended lives out of desperation,” he said.

In another incident in Ballari, a woman ended her life by jumping into a water sump after killing her two children. The deceased have been identified as Sunitha (28), her son Yashwanth (4) and daughter (aged 15 months). Marital discord is said to be the reason for the extreme step.