BELAGAVI: A 38-year-old pesticide merchant killed his wife and their two children before taking his life in Ramadurga taluk of Belagavi district late Monday night.
Police said the couple used to have frequent fights over some family issues, and this could be the reason behind the tragedy. Police are investigating the incident from all angles, including a possible suicide pact.
The deceased are Praveen Shettar, Rajeshwari, 27, and Amruta, 8, and Adhvik, 6. Praveen was a dealer in agro-chemicals and pesticides. He lived with his family and 60-year-old mother in Ramadurga taluk.
Praveen returned home late on Monday night with bottles of pesticides from his shop. Police said he smothered his wife with a pillow and walked into the next room where his children were sleeping next to their grandmother. He woke the children up, led them into his room and killed them before consuming poison.
In the morning, mother knocked on the door of Praveen’s son’s room when she did not find the children in her room. When they did not answer, she opened the door to find all four dead.
An officer said it’s yet to be established how Praveen killed his children – by force-feeding them food laced with poison or by smothering them.