Umesh Marpalli

Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (RJP)

Udupi, Jul 13 : Four members of a family were found dead on Thursday, July 13 at a house in Padubelle near here.

Shankaracharya (51), his wife Nirmala (42) and their children Shruthi (24) and Shreya (21) are the deceased.

Shankaracharya owned Shreya Jewellers in Padubelle.

It is said that the four consumed cyanide to end lives. Reason for the suicides is yet to be known.

Sources said Shankaracharya had gone to Udupi to make some gold purchases on Wednesday. After that no one spotted him in Padubelle. On Thursday morning the neighbours discovered that all the members of the family had committed suicide.

It is gathered that Shankaracharya had made heavy business losses ten years back. But he had recovered gradually. In the recent days he had employed 15 goldsmiths at his house to make jewellery. But his business was not doing well in the recent past. His one daughter was supposed to get married and her engagement got cancelled due to a birth of a child in the bridegroom’s family.

Shirva police have registered a case.