MANDYA: 65-year-old garment trader in Karnataka‘s Mandya district allegedly killed his wife and son before ending his own life, leaving behind a purported suicide note pointing to mounting debts, loan repayment pressure and business losses that he linked to the state’s free bus travel scheme.The deceased were identified as Prabhakar (65), his wife Jyothi (55) and their son Santosh (28). Police said the bodies of Jyothi and Santosh were found at the family’s rented house, while Prabhakar was discovered hanging at his clothing shop on Tuesday morning.According to cops, Prabhakar left behind a suicide note in which he wrote about severe financial distress, including the burden of repaying home loan EMIs and losses suffered in his business. He allegedly claimed that the increased frequency and convenience of bus services under the state government’s free bus scheme had affected his trade and contributed to the decline in earnings.“A suicide note was found in the house. In the note, he mentioned that he had taken a home loan and was under pressure to pay the EMI. He also wrote that his business had suffered losses. He further stated that he himself had killed Jyothi,” Mandya SP Shobha Rani V J told news agency PTI.Police suspect that Prabhakar first strangled his wife and later his son before travelling to his shop and dying by suicide. Strangulation marks were found on both bodies, though officials said the exact sequence of events would be confirmed only after the post-mortem examination and forensic analysis.A dhoti believed to have been used in the killings was recovered from the house. Teams from the Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO) unit and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) inspected the premises as part of the investigation.The tragedy came to light after Santosh’s wife Meghana, whom he married on April 26 this year, discovered the bodies. According to her statement, the family had dinner together around midnight on Monday before retiring for the night. Prabhakar and Jyothi slept in one room, while Santosh and Meghana slept in another.Meghana told police that she woke up around 6.30 am, completed household chores and prayers, and later went to wake her mother-in-law around 8.15 am. Finding the room locked, she opened it and discovered the bodies. She said she had heard no unusual sounds during the night.Police said Meghana was aware of the family’s debt burden, which had been discussed around the time of her marriage. She also told investigators that there had been no quarrel or unusual incident in the house on the night before the deaths.The suicide note reportedly also referred to harassment by private financiers and mounting interest payments, adding to the family’s financial strain. Prabhakar and Jyothi are survived by an unmarried daughter who works for an IT company in Bengaluru.Mandya East police have registered a case and launched a detailed investigation into the deaths.
