Depressed mother kills minor son, commits suicide

Hameed Ashraf | NT

Bengaluru

With the city emerging as the suicide capital of India, another case was reported on Wednesday after a woman and her 13-year-old son were found hanging at their residence in Hosaguddadahalli. The deceased were identified as Lakshmamma, 48, and her son Madan, 13, by the police. The incident came to light on Tuesday around 9:30 pm when the neighbours had to break open the main door of the house after the phone calls made to Lakshmamma went unanswered.

As the matter was brought to the notice of the police, a probe was launched to ascertain the cause of the alleged suicide. Deputy Commissioner of Police, West, Laxman Nimbargi said that the case was reported around 2:15 pm on Wednesday to the police. Following the investigation, it was revealed that Lakshmamma's husband, Shivalinge Gowda was running a hotel near Gandhi Nagar in the city. The couple had two sons, including Madan, who was the younger one. Their elder son, Navin, assisted Gowda in his hotel business.

 After inspecting the spot and obtaining the statements of the neighbours, relatives, and friends of the family, the Byatarayanapura police said that the woman must have been suffering from depression due to her younger brother's failed marriage.

 Lakshmamma's brother, Siddegowda, was married to a woman named Ranjitha. However, within a short time, their relationship fell apart as Ranjitha started accusing her husband of being abnormal. Later, she also registered an erroneous complaint against Siddegowda and Lakshmamma of dowry harassment, following which the police arrested Siddegowda. It was also learnt that Ranjitha had visited Lakshmamma and abused her a few days ago. It's speculated that Lakshmamma might have taken the extreme step, unable to bear the depression after all these events unfolded.

The police said that the husband of the deceased, Shivalinge Gowda, was at the hotel along with his elder son when the woman hanged her younger son and then herself from a window of their house. "Aware of his wife's mental condition, the husband got worried when his calls went unanswered and requested one of his neighbours to look into the house. The neighbours broke open the door and found the wom[1]an and her son dead," a police officer told News Trail.