Karnataka woman, five children found dead in Vijayapura lake; police suspect suicide

The bodies of a woman and her five children were found in Bhutnal Lake in Vijayapura, Karnataka. Although the exact reason behind the deaths is yet to be determined, police suspect it to be a case of suicide. The incident was confirmed by an official on Wednesday (August 26). The lake comes under Adarsh Nagar police station limits.

Woman, children reported missing

The development comes a day after the husband of the deceased woman, Shobha (35), lodged a missing person complaint at Vijayapura Rural Police Station on Monday (August 24). According to police, the deceased’s husband, Mallikarjun Jalageri, stated in the complaint that she had left home with the children following a dispute over domestic matters.

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Police said that Shobha had left home around 6 am with four children and later went to a hostel and took along her youngest child, who had a hearing impairment. However, attempts to trace them did not yield any results as she had left her mobile phone at home.

"Attempts were subsequently made to trace their locations, but no clues or leads were found because they had left their mobile phone at home," Superintendent of Police Laxman Nimbargin told reporters.

Bodies recovered from lake

"Most probably, it appears that they came to Bhutnal Lake and may have died by suicide or something similar. However, we will know the exact circumstances only after the forensic, FSL and post-mortem reports are received," added the SP.

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Police received information at around 8.45 am on Wednesday that six bodies had been found in the lake, following which police and Fire Department personnel reached the spot and recovered the bodies, he said, adding that the children comprised three girls and two boys, aged between 15 and six years.

Nimbargi said the bodies could have drifted from one side of the lake to another due to wind and waves, and police would investigate all possible angles.

Probe into deaths underway

"We will enquire into it. The post-mortem report is important. The FSL report is also important. We will also speak to the family members and relatives. So, we will see what emerges during the investigation," he said when asked about the woman's husband. He was working as an agricultural labourer, police said.

The bodies were shifted to BLDE Hospital for post-mortem examination. Further investigation is underway.

(With agency inputs)