Bengaluru: Girl flees as mom tries to hang her; sister dies

BENGALURU: An eight-year-old girl ran out of her home after her widowed mother allegedly sought to hang her and her elder sister from the ceiling before attempting to take the extreme step herself on Monday evening. The girl alerted neighbours in Dibbur village near Yelahanka, who succeeded in rescuing her mother from the noose, but were unable to save her 12-year-old sibling.
According to Rajanukunte police, the incident took place around 6pm. Police identified the dead girl as Divyashree. Her mother Varalakshmi is battling for life in hospital.
Varalakshmi was depressed after losing her husband Puttaraju to Covid-19 two months ago and also suffered from spine-related problems for the past two years. She decided to hang her children and herself on Monday evening. As Varalakshmi and Divyashree were getting ready to die by suicide, her younger daughter Mugdha rushed out of the house. The girl began screaming for help, drawing neighbours’ attention. They entered the house, brought down the woman and her elder daughter and rushed them to hospital, where doctors declared Divyashree dead on arrival. Varalakshmi was admitted to the hospital.
Hemanth Kumar D, gram panchayat member, said she was depressed over the sudden demise of her husband and was unwell too. Her 12-year-old daughter was helping her with daily chores.
Woman was not strong enough to hang kids
Police suspect Varalakshmi might have convinced her children that they should all commit suicide as she was not physically strong enough to take care of them. “The woman was not strong enough to even hang her children. We suspect the arrangement was for all the three to hang themselves,” police said, adding that the younger girl appeared to have got scared an the last minute and rushed out of the house.
Rajanukunte police have taken up a case of suspicious death and further probe is under way to find out if the elder girl hanged herself or was hanged by her mother. Mugdha is staying with her uncles.