As many as five skeletons, suspected to be of members of a family, were found in a house near Challakere Gate in Chitradurga on Friday. The house has remained locked since 2019.
Based on the statements of the relatives of the family members residing in the house, it is learned that the deceased are Jagannath Reddy, 70, his wife Premavathi, their children Triveni, Krishna Reddy and Narendra Reddy. One skeleton was found in a room, while the remaining four were found in another room. Jagannath Reddy, a retired Executive Engineer in the Public Works Department, is a native of Dodda Siddavanahalli in Chitradurga taluk.
The incident came to light on Thursday night, when the neighbours complained to the police of a foul smell from the house. Chitradurga Extension Police reached the house, and during the search, they found skeletons.
A team of forensic experts from Davangere visited the house late in the night. Divya V.Gopinath, Director of the State Forensic Science Laboratory, and her team visited the spot on Friday. The skeletons have been shifted for further examination.
The calendar hanging on one of the walls in the house showed January, 2019. Since then, the calendar has not been replaced, and electricity bills remain unpaid.
Dharmendra Kumar Meena, Chitradurga Superintendent of Police, told the media that initially three skeletons were found. However, later, two more were found following a thorough check by the FSL team. “The family members hardly contacted their friends and relatives. The neighbours never interacted with them. Only after further inquiry can we ascertain the identity of the dead,” he said. Eastern Range IGP K. Thiyagarajan also visited the spot.
Chitradurga Extension Police have taken up the investigation after registering an unnatural death report based on a complaint.from Pavan Kumar N.R., a relative of the family members. Mr. Pavan, in his statement, said that for the last 10 to 12 years, none of the relatives had been in touch with the family. “They never visited our homes, nor did we meet them,” he said in the complaint.
