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Bangalore, May 7: THE high priest of the Ayyappa temple at JC Nagar and his family attempted suicide at around 5 pm in the evening on Monday in the JC Nagar police station limits. While three of the family are battling for life, their one-year-old daughter is dead. Vinod Namboothiri (36)and his wife Ranjini Namboothiri (30) allegedly consumed pesticide and administered the same to their children, Manikandan(2)and Mohini( 1) between 4-5 pm. Mohini died before she could be taken to hospital.

Police said that when Vinod did not report at the temple in the evening, his colleague went looking for him at the house. He smelt the pesticide and alerted the neighbours and the police. The police broke open the door and found Mohini already dead.

The others were taken to the Mahaveer Jain Hospital. Police said that Vinod is a native of Kerala. His relatives are on their way to attend to the family. The couple and their two-yearold son are undergoing treatment in the ICU.

Doctors at the hospital said that Vinod and Manikandan are critical, while Ranjini is stable. Police have not been able to ascertain what caused them to attempt suicide.