Belagavi, July 9 Three members of a family consumed poison and ended their lives over debt in Karnataka's Belagavi district, police said on Wednesday.
The deceased have been identified as Santosh Kurudekar, a goldsmith; Suvarna Kurudekar; and Mangala Kurudekar.
Santosh's sister Sunanda has been admitted to the hospital, and her condition is said to be critical.
The incident occurred in the Joshimal area under the jurisdiction of the Shahpur police station.
The police have recovered a death note written in Marathi from the residence of the deceased.
According to the police, the death note said that the family was burdened by debts resulting from chit fund transactions.
It also mentions that one Raju Kurudekar, also a goldsmith, had taken gold from the family and failed to return it, which pushed them to take the extreme step.
The note further said that Kurudekar had received 500 grams of gold from the victims. When the family questioned him about returning the gold, which they had taken from others, Raju and his wife allegedly threatened them.
"They (Raju and his wife) also spread rumours that we had absconded after taking 2 to 3 kilograms of gold jewellery from people. Because of this, we were harassed by the public for money, and life became unbearable," the note reportedly said.
The deceased had requested the police to recover the gold from Raju and return it to the rightful owners. They (victims) also appealed for strict action and harsh punishment against him.
Santosh was unmarried and lived with his mother and two unmarried sisters.
Preliminary investigations have revealed that Santosh spent two hours persuading his mother and sisters to end their lives.
Though Sunanda initially refused to consume poison, after seeing her brother, sister, and mother consume poison and collapse, she eventually consumed it as well.
The police have taken up further investigation into the matter.
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