Daijiworld Media Network – Beltangady (RD)

Beltangady, Dec 6: A person who was under the influence of alcohol torched his house and later committed suicide by hanging himself at Peelya near here on Tuesday December 4.  

The deceased has been identified as Peter Monis of Monis Villa, located at Balipagudde near Peelya.

Peter Monis and Apoline couple has three sons and one daughter.  While one of their sons works in a Gulf country, the other works in a garage as painter at Mangalore.  The eldest son has passed away a few years ago.  So only Peter and his wife Apoline were living in their house.

Peter had been addicted to alcohol and used to come home everyday in the evening drunk.  On Tuesday Apoline had been to her son's house in Mangalore sine Peter had fought with her on Monday night.  Accordingly only Peter was in the house.  

Peter arrived home in a drunken state, on Tuesday night.  For some reason known only to him, he set his house on fire almost immediately.  Eye-witnesses said that he was sitting in the verandah when the neighbours came to extinguish fire. 

But by the time they managed to extinguish fire, Peter was not found anywhere in the vicinity. He was not to be found even on Wednesday November 5 morning, when the neighbours once again arrived to extinguish the fire beaming from the barn where paddy was stored. 

However, they later found Peter hanging by the rope used to draw water from the well.  Though Apoline and her son Alphonse arrived to Peelya on Tuesday night itself, had not gone to the house and had stayed in one of their relatives' house.  When they came to the spot on next morning, to their utter shock even Peter had ended his life.

Venoor police have registered a case in this regard.