Godavari suicide bid: man dies, 2 missing; note alleges daughter harassed

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Police personnel searching for the family missing in river Godavari in Rajamahendravaram city on Monday. | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Authorities retrieved the body of a 61-year-old man on Monday evening after he along with his wife, daughter and 10-year-old grandson, jumped into river Godavari from the Road-cum-Rail bridge in Rajamahendravaram city on Sunday night. The deceased, identified as K. Nooka Raju, worked as an Assistant Engineer at Panchayat Raj Department in Pithapuram mandal of Kakinada district.

However, the 10-year-old boy has survived the suicide bid and he was rescued by the fisherfolk as he was lying unconscious on an island in the river. The search operation is still in progress for Nooka Raju’s wife Meena, 58, and daughter Sowjanya, 38.

In a suicide note dated August 16, believed to have been left by Raju, alleged that SK. Sadhik Khan, who runs the PRO Rifle Shooting Academy had been harassing his daughter after the demise of her husband earlier this year in February.

“Sadhik [Khan] has been behind my daughter, promising to take care of her. He has threatened to eliminate my grandson and me when we rejected his proposal. He has taken our bank accounts and valuable things into his possession by threatening us,” reads the note, which was accessed by The Hindu and addressed to the Kakinada District Collector and Superintendent of Police.

“Our family had decided to end our lives as we are unable to face the atrocities against my daughter and unable to face the threats from Sadhik,” the note states.

The note will be sent to a forensic laboratory, said South Division DSP A. Siva Priya, adding, “The investigation is in progress.”

The incident came to light after a man crossing the bridge by road alerted the police at 11.32 p.m on Sunday night.

On being contacted by the II Town police, fisherfolk from the island in the river ventured into the river and rescued the boy, who is being treated in a hospital and is out of danger.

South Division DSP A. Siva Priya has stated that a case has been registered against Sk.Sadhik Khan on the charges of ‘Abetment of suicide’ under Section 108 of the BNS based on the statement by the grandson and the suicide letter, and special teams have been deployed to trace Mr. Sadhik Khan.

On the other hand, the search operation continued till 7 p.m. on Monday with the support of the State Disaster Response Force and it will resume on Tuesday.

According to an official release from the East Godavari Jana Sena Party, Mr. Pawan Kalyan spoke to Kakinada SP G. Bindu Madhav and East Godavari SP D. Narasimha Kishore and asked them to speed up the investigation. “The accused who reportedly drove the family to take the extreme step should be booked,” said Mr. Pawan Kalyan.

Those in distress or having suicidal thoughts can call the Rajamahendravaram city police helpline at 70757-49825, or Tele-MANAS at 14416.