Mysuru Businessman Allegedly Kills Wife And Daughters, Suicide Note Points To Financial Trouble

A 49-year-old real estate businessman allegedly killed his wife and two daughters before taking his own life at his residence in Hunsur town of Mysuru district on Tuesday, police said, in a tragedy that has left the neighbourhood of New Maruti Layout in shock.

The deceased, identified as Harish, is alleged to have killed his 36-year-old wife, Nishith, and their daughters, aged 14 and 8, before hanging himself on the first floor of the house. Police said the bodies of the wife and children were found on the ground floor, in one of the bedrooms.

Mysuru Superintendent of Police Mallikarjun Baldandi told reporters that information about the deaths was received at around 12.12 pm on Tuesday. Officers from Hunsur City police rushed to the spot and carried out an inspection.

"On the ground floor, in one of the bedrooms, his wife and their two daughters, aged 14 and 8, were found lying on the bed. According to the preliminary information available, the faces of all three had been covered with adhesive tape," the SP said, describing the scene that greeted investigators.

Police said adhesive tape found covering the mouths of the wife and daughters suggested that they may have died of suffocation, though the exact cause of death would be confirmed only after a post-mortem examination is conducted.

Investigators also recovered two written notes at the scene, one of which was addressed to the police. According to officials, Harish had left a note stating that he would be found hanging in an upstairs room. The note reportedly went on to mention property documents kept in a locker, specified where the keys could be found, and asked the police to hand them over to a person named in the note.

"We recovered a suicide note from the bedroom, and another note written in a register kept on a table. In them, he had mentioned several matters, such as details of his properties, the persons to whom they should be handed over or transferred, and his debts," SP Baldandi said.

Police said a preliminary inquiry revealed that Harish had sent his mother to his grandmother's house three days before the incident, a detail investigators believe may point to premeditation.

The SP said the note's references to outstanding debts were being examined as a possible trigger. "His mother has informed us about the debts. We are investigating whether the incident was triggered by financial liabilities. We are examining whether there were any family-related issues or other reasons behind the incident," he added.

Police have not ruled out other contributing factors and said the exact motive behind the killings was yet to be conclusively established at this stage. Officers said the investigation was ongoing, with the post-mortem report expected to shed further light on the sequence and cause of the three deaths in the coming days.

Inputs from PTI