School van driver ends life after killing 3 of his family

Chikkamagaluru: A 40-year-old school van driver allegedly killed three people, including his seven-year-old daughter, before ending his life due to a family dispute in Chikkamagaluru's Balehonnur late on Tuesday.
Rathnakara Gowda of Hemakki village in Kalasa allegedly opened fire on his mother-in-law, Jyothi, 50, his sister-in-law, Sindhu, 24, and his daughter, Moulya; they all died on the spot, police said. Gowda's brother-in-law, Avinash, was also targeted, but luckily he escaped with injuries.
According to police, Gowda was separated from his wife two years ago and was residing at the school quarters in Sangameshwarapete along with his daughter. His wife was working in a textile shop in Udupi.
Gowda was depressed due to the family issue and was upset as the daughter kept asking about her mother, police said. Despite intervention by elders and well-wishers, the couple couldn't come together. Gowda believed that the family members were responsible for the dispute, an officer said.
On Tuesday at 9.30pm, Gowda came to the in-laws' house in Magalu, around 2km from the school, along with Moulya. He carried a firearm with him. He had an argument with the family members for over 30 minutes and opened fire on Jyothi and then targeted Moulya when they tried to run away from him. Their bodies were found in a pool of blood outside the house, police said. Then, he targeted Avinash, his brother-in-law, who sustained injuries in his legs but luckily escaped. "But Avinash's wife, Sindhu, could not escape from the firing. Her body was found lying inside the house," the officer said.
After the killings, Gowda went inside a coffee estate near Magalu and shot himself to death, police said.
Avinash is undergoing treatment at a hospital and is out of danger, according to superintendent of police Vikram Amate.
Gowda used a single-barrel breech-loader weapon, the SP said. However, the details of the weapon are yet to be ascertained as the identity number was scratched. The weapon was recovered and sent to the laboratory for testing.
Balehonnur police registered a case under sections of the BNS and the Arms Act.
Before committing suicide, Gowda made a video about his family dispute. In the video, he said his daughter was upset as her classmates used to query about her mother. The daughter even showed her mother's photographs to her friends. "My daughter's happiness is my happiness," Rathnakar said in the video.