Daijiworld Media Network - Bantwal

Bantwal, Dec 27: A 53-year-old man died after accidentally consuming poison, reportedly mistaking it for medication prescribed for a mental health condition. The incident occurred at Pilimogaru under Punjalkatte police station limits.

The deceased has been identified as Gangadhara Shetty, a resident of Kodambettu village in Bantwal taluk.

Police said Gangadhara Shetty, who had lost his right thumb and had been staying at home for the past five years, was undergoing treatment for a mental health condition and was regularly taking prescribed medicines. On the evening of December 22, he allegedly consumed a poisonous substance kept in a bottle near a window of his house, believing it to be his medicine.

He fell seriously ill soon after and was immediately admitted to a private hospital in Mangaluru. Despite treatment, he did not respond and succumbed on December 25.

A case has been registered at the Punjalkatte police station, and further investigation is under way.