Man allegedly murders wife, son, commits suicide by train in Mulki, Karnataka

MANGALURU: A 32-year-old man allegedly murdered his wife and four-year-old son before ending his life by jumping in front of a train in Mulki police station limits, near Mangaluru. Mangaluru City Police Commissioner Anupam Agrawal reported that on November 8, around 12:40 p.m., Kartik Bhat, a resident of Pakshikere in Mulki, committed suicide by leaping in front of a moving train near Kalapur railway station, within Mulki police station limits. The body was discovered approximately two kilometres from the station on the railway track by track master Naveen, who then complained, leading to an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) case being registered at Mulki police station. Initially, the victim's identity was unknown as the body was severely disfigured, and no identification was found at the crime scene. However, officers found a key near the site, which they suspected belonged to a nearby parked two-wheeler. After extensive searching, they found an unattended vehicle around 1:00 p.m. on Saturday, which could be unlocked with the key. Inside the vehicle, police discovered an RC Card with a photo matching the victim, identifying him as Kartik Bhat and providing his address in Pakshikere. Police learned that Kartik lived with his family, including his father, mother, wife, and son. His parents, Janardhan and his wife, have been working in a nearby hotel for the past 30 years. Kartik had been married to Priyanka, aged 27, from Shimoga, for six years, and they had a four-year-old son, Hriday. Although Kartiks family lived under the same roof, they had not been on speaking terms for the past three years. The family lived in separate rooms, managing their affairs independently. On Friday, Kartiks parents returned from work around 4:00 p.m. and noticed his room was locked, assuming the family had gone out. By Saturday, calls to Priyankas phone went unanswered as her phone was switched off. The parents eventually returned home and, upon unlocking Kartiks room, discovered that his wife and son had been fatally stabbed. Police found a saree tied to the ceiling fan, suggesting an attempted suicide by hanging in the room. Kartik had killed his wife and son using a broken window glass shard and was also under financial strain, the Commissioner stated. A suicide note found at the scene indicated that Kartik admitted to murdering his wife and son before taking his own life. The crime scene has been secured, and forensic teams, including the FSL Mobile unit and Scene of Crime Officers (SOCO), have been summoned. A case has been registered based on a complaint from family members, and further investigation is ongoing.