Five members of a family were found dead inside a room at Vaddera Choultry near the Mallikarjuna Swamy temple on Tuesday, with police suspecting a mass suicide linked to severe financial distress, NDTV reported.
The deceased were identified as Gogula Adilakshmi (50), Malleswari (45), P. Sudhakar (36), Sridevi (33) and Manikanta (15), all from Bathalapalli village in Andhra Pradesh's Sri Sathya Sai district.
Police said the family arrived in the pilgrimage town by autorickshaw on August 20 and checked into Room No. 11. They remained inside for several days, prompting lodge staff to alert police after noticing a strong foul smell coming from the room.
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Upon breaking open the door, officers discovered a grim scene, three women were found dead inside the bathroom, while two individuals were found hanging from the ceiling fan.
Preliminary investigations led by Atmakur Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Ramanjaneyulu indicate that crippling financial troubles likely drove the family to take the extreme step. As the sole breadwinner, Sudhakar supported the entire household by driving an autorickshaw.
Investigation also revealed that the family was facing multiple compound challenges. All five members, Sudhakar, his two elder sisters, a younger sibling, and his nephew, were reportedly suffering from chronic health issues, as per the PTI.
A police officer told PTI, “Five members of a family were found dead in a room at Vadde Satram here on Tuesday, and preliminary inquiries suggest that health problems and financial hardships may have driven them to take the extreme step.”
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Police have registered a formal case to establish the precise sequence of events leading up to the tragedy. The bodies have been sent to a government facility for post-mortem examinations, and a thorough investigation into the matter is currently underway.
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