Daijiworld Media Network – Bangalore (SP)
Bangalore, Mar 31: Relating to the shocking mass suicide-cum-murder by the family members of a city-based realtor on the night of Thursday March 27 ostensibly due to harassment suffered at the hands of a police officer from Hyderabad, the state police, it is learnt, have ordered probe by the criminal investigation department (CID).
Kaushik Puneeth Sharma (40), living at Vakeel Garden near Talaghattapura, Ramanagara district, his wife, Shreeltha (36), son, Kaustubh (9), and daughter, Sreeraksha (11) were found dead inside their home. After injecting poison to his family members, Kaushik had hanged himself from the grills of the stairs in his home at night, the policemen, who came to know of the incident the next day, said.
Kaushik had left behind definite hints that his entire family decided to perish on account of usurping of their gold and property by a police officer named Reddy attached to city crime station, Hyderabad, who had been constantly persecuting them through his henchmen. The police department, it is learnt, decided to entrust investigation of the case to CID because of the likely involvement of a police officer of a neighbouring state in the crime, and as a thorough police investigation involving officers from both the states need to be carried out.
Ramanagara district superintendent of police, Anupam Agarwal, said that the department is in possession of suicide note and other things left behind by the deceased. He added that the syringes and bottles found by the side of the bodies of the victims had been sent for forensic examination, and that the suicide note has been referred to handwriting experts. The officials of the department, however, confessed that as of now, not much is known about the dealings, or reasons for animosity between, the said police officer and Kaushik Puneeth Sharma, and that ascertaining this might provide them with a clinching lead to solve this mysterious case.
Sharma, who had worked in USA for several years till shifting base to Bangalore three years back and getting involved with reality and financing business, was a native of Udupi.