Four members of a family were found dead in the courtyard of their house in Haduvalli in Bhatkal taluk of Uttara Kannada district on Friday, February 24, evening.
The Bhatkal Rural police gave the names of the deceased as Shambhu Bhat (65), his wife Madevi Bhat (40), son Rajeev Bhat (34), and daughter-in-law Kusuma Bhat (30).
Police said Shambu Bhat’s other daughter-in-law, Vidya, and her family members had come to his house on Friday evening where a heated discussion ensued with Bhat and his family over sharing of property. There was clash between the two groups that resulted in the death of four persons. All four were found dead in the courtyard.
According to a complaint filed by Shambu Bhat’s daughter, Bhat had a dispute with Vidya over sharing of property following the death of her husband (Bhat’s son) a few weeks ago..
Uttara Kannada Superintendent of Police N. Vishnuvardhan told The Hindu that the police have registered a case of murder. They have taken Vidya into custody and are questioning her. Two police teams are searching for other persons allegedly involved in the murder.
Neighbours had seen a group of persons coming into Shambu Bhat’s house in the evening and then leaving the house a few minutes after the incident. “We are gathering more details about the incident to find out the real reason for the murder,” Mr. Vishnuvardhan said.