85-Year-Old Man Kills Wife and Dies by Suicide in Sampigehalli

An 85-year-old man allegedly killed his 77-year-old wife and subsequently died by suicide on Monday night in the Sampigehalli police station limits of Bengaluru. The couple, who were suffering from severe health issues, reportedly took the step to avoid becoming a burden to their children.

The deceased have been identified as Shivanandan Prasad and his wife, Sumitra Devi. The couple, who were natives of Bihar, had arrived at the house of their son, Kiran Kumar Kashyap, in Bengaluru just a few days prior to the incident.

According to the police, Sumitra Devi was suffering from eye and ear-related ailments, while Prasad was suffering from heart issues. A police officer stated that Prasad is suspected to have taken the extreme step so as not to be a burden to his son, though authorities are checking if there were other reasons involved.

The incident took place after Kashyap served dinner to his parents at around 9:00 PM on Monday. Police state that Prasad used a pillow to smother his wife to death and subsequently died by hanging himself from the window grills of the room using a lungi.

The tragedy came to light on Tuesday morning at around 6:00 AM when Kashyap tried to wake his parents. After receiving no response, Kashyap used a hammer to break open the locked door of their room, where he discovered their bodies.

Kashyap, an ex-serviceman who currently works as a senior supervisor in a security agency, was staying with his wife, daughter, and son. At the time of the incident, Kashyap's wife and son were out of station to attend a relative's wedding.

The Sampigehalli police have registered a case of murder and unnatural death to investigate the matter. The bodies of the deceased have been shifted for a postmortem examination.