Hubli, May 29 (The Hindu) : Three of a family allegedly consumed poison, in what appears to be a suicide pact, at a hotel here in the early hours of Wednesday.
The deceased were identified as Hubli-based businessman Mahantesh Mallikarjun Dhawan (46), his wife, Shobha (38), and son, Amogh (12).
Jeweller blamed
The deceased left a suicide note and also sent it on WhatsApp, holding a Hubli-based jeweller and his two sons responsible for his financial problems.
According to the police here, Dhawan, a businessman engaged in industrial valve manufacturing at Belur industrial area in Dharwad, and his family left home after informing relatives that they were going to Goa to take their son for a medical examination. However, they went to Belgaum and booked a room at a hotel on Tuesday.
The police suspect that the family consumed the poison around 12.30 a.m. on Wednesday.
During preliminary investigations, it was revealed that Shobha had called her brother and wished for his family’s well-being. She disconnected the call after mentioning suicide. Her brother, who became anxious, called back but got no response.
He immediately informed the police control room in Hubli and requested that they trace the family.
However, all three were dead by the time the police traced their location in Belgaum.
After conducting panchanama, the bodies were taken to the district government hospital for post-mortem. The bodies were handed over to relatives.
Protest outside shop
Relatives and friends of Dhawan staged a protest outside the jeweller’s shop in Hubli.
They kept the bodies outside the shop and staged a protest for nearly 40 minutes.
However, the shop was locked and the owners did not turn up. The police arrived at the spot and brought the situation under control.
The protesters alleged that the jeweller had cheated many people by promising to double their money.
The persons responsible for the death of the Dhawan family should be arrested and legal action should be taken against them, they demanded.