Man found hanging in Goa, bodies of wife, son recovered in Karnataka; cops suspect mass suicide

PTI, Jul 1, 2023, 2:59 PM IST

The body of a 50-year-old man was found in a forest patch of Goa a couple of days ago while that of his wife and minor son were recovered off Devbag beach in neighbouring Karnataka, with police suspecting it may be a case of mass suicide.

An official said the man, identified as Shyam Patil, was a labour contractor and was reportedly reeling under debts he had taken from institutions as well as individuals.

”Patil’s body was found hanging from a tree in a forest in Quepem taluka in south Goa on Thursday. The corpse of his wife Jyoti (37) and 12-year-old son was spotted off Devbag beach in Karwar in Karnataka the same day,” he said.

”Prima facie, it seems like a case of mass suicide. The family lived in Chicalim village, some 15 kilometers away from Panaji. As per neighbours, they had left for Karwar on Wednesday at 8:30 pm,” he added.

Patil had sent a voice message to his friends and a relative claiming his wife and son had committed suicide and had said he too was ending his life, the police official informed.

”A note has been recovered from Patil’s car in which he said he was ending his life due to a financial crisis. Further probe into the case is underway,” the official added.