Daijiworld Media Network - Dharwad (SP)

Dharwad, Sep 7: Three persons of the same family lost their lives in a suicide pact involving a couple and their 18 month-old child, on Sunday September 6.

Guranagouda Patil (35), his wife Manjula (28) and their 18 month-old daughter Lalitamma from Nugginakeri village near here, were the ill-fated victims.  Guranagouda had married a girl named Lakkamma from Devara Hubballi in the year 2005. As Lakkamma did not conceive even after considerable time, he married Manjula, who worked with him in a brick kiln, in 2007 and thereafter, got a daughter through her.

Family quarrels started after Guranagouda refused to bring back his first wife Lakkamma, who had gone to her parents’ home for Diwali festival last year. After Lakkamma's brother and some village elders exerted pressure on him on September 4, Guranagouda had agreed to allow Lakkamma to join him. On this issue, Manjula fought with her husband on Saturday night. The rural police station personnel here, who have registered a case, said that the lifeless bodies of the three were found lying in their house on Sunday morning, with visible signs of the fact that the couple had consumed insecticide, besides feeding it to the child.