Daijiworld Media Network - Udupi (SP)

Udupi, Jul 13: On July 12 last year, four members of a family from Padubelle-Pamboor near Shirva in the district had together committed suicide. Shankar Acharya (51), owner of Shriya Jewellery, Padubelle, his wife, Nirmala Acharya (45), and daughters, Shruthi (25) and Shriya (22) had committed suicide together by consuming cyanide.

It was suspected that Shankar Acharya, who was reeling under the burden of various loans raised by him, had decided to end lives of all the family members together. It was felt that he would have mixed cyanide to the food consumed by his wife and children, and after their deaths, he too would have consumed this poisonous substance. During investigation, it came to light that since a week he used to offer Teertha and Prasadam to family members, and on the day of their death, he had offered Teertha mixed with cyanide to his wife and children. The forensic laboratory report has confirmed that cyanide had caused their deaths.

Shankar Acharya had pledged spurious gold ornaments to Kunjarugiri branch of Innanje Cooperative Agricultural Bank and raised loan of about Rs 65 lac. In 93 different loan accounts, he had pledged about three kilograms of gold, of which only about a hundred grams of gold was found to be genuine. After the bank manager provided information, the gold pledged was evaluated through some other jewel appraiser, who found that out of gold valued at Rs 65 lac, only gold worth Rs 2.5 lac was genuine. The genuine gold was auctioned and about two lac rupees was recovered out of sale proceeds, it is gathered.

The bank executive officer, Manohar Rao, had filed complaint against deceased Shankar Acharya and branch manager, Umesh Ameen, in Shirva police station. The branch manager who was suspended, is out on bail now. The jewel appraiser of the bank, Umesh Acharya, who happens to be an accused, also has secured bail.

The case about duping of the bank was filed in the court of the cooperative loan recovery. After hearing, as per the court order, the house in which Shankar Acharya's family lived, is now being sold through auction on July 24 along with 17 cents land attached to it. The loan outstanding has been put at around Rs 69 lac.

Shankar Acharya's mother is ill, and one of his brothers is suffering from cancer. So, the family is not in a position to save their house from getting auctioned.