A 35-year-old City Armed Reserve (CAR) constable attached to Bengaluru police allegedly killed his wife and two children before attempting suicide on Tuesday morning.
Subash, who had been working with the Chief Minister’s home office for six months, is in intensive care at Baptist Hospital here.
With no suicide note, the police are investigating the reasons that led to the constable feeding poison to his wife Veena and their children — three-year-old Manya and 18-month-old Prithvi. The police suspect Subash added poison to their breakfast. “We will be able to know the actual cause when Subash regains consciousness. Doctors are monitoring him,” said a senior police officer.
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Family, friends and colleagues were horrified when they learnt that Subash allegedly killed his wife and two children and then attempted to kill himself on Tuesday. The family hailed from Ballari and lived in Hegde Nagar, in Sampigehalli police station limits, here. The police registered a case on the charges of murder and abetment of suicide.
On Tuesday, a little before 8 a.m., his brother Kotresh, who lived with the family, returned to their home from Hubballi after being with his wife who had recently given birth to their child. When no one opened the door, he peeped through the window and found Subash’s wife Veena and their children Manya and Prithvi unconscious on the floor. According to his statement to the police, Subash was conscious and seemed to be struggling to breathe.
He immediately informed the police and the family was rushed to Baptist Hospital. Doctors, however, were unable to save Veena, Manya and Prithvi. Subash’s condition is said to be stable.
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The police suspect Subash had mixed poison to the breakfast and gave it to his family first before consuming it himself. “This is what the preliminary examinations reveal. We suspect it to be rat poison. Samples have been sent to the forensic science laboratory for tests,” said a police officer attached to the Sampigehalli station.
Doctors at Baptist Hospital, however, said traces of organophosphorus compounds, found in insecticides, were found in Subash.
According to senior police officers, Subash joined the police force in 2006. “He was initially with the CAR (North) as a constable. Six months ago he got promoted as head constable and was posted at ‘Krishna’, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s home office,” said a senior police officer from the Central headquarters with whom he was attached to.
The officer said there were no complaints against him. “He never came forward with any complaints. He had even got quarters and was living with his family. So he could not have been depressed over such issues,” added the officer.
‘I spoke to him last night’
Chetan, Subash’s cousin, said they spoke on Monday night. “He was absolutely normal and did not sound depressed over anything. The couple too were in good terms and they were not in debt,” he said.
Meanwhile, Veena’s uncle Shankar was trying to contact the couple as he was supposed to handover some snacks that Veena’s mother in Gadag district had sent them. “But their cellphones were switched off. So I called Kotresh and he told me about the incident,” said Shankar.
Both of them said Subash had not complained of work-related pressure to them. “We are clueless as to why they did this,” said Chetan.