Deadly Rampage in Karnataka! Karnataka Man’s Guns Down Family
Rage of Abandonment: Karnataka Man’s Deadly Rampage Ends in Suicide
In a chilling tragedy that rocked Magalur village in Karnataka’s Chikkamagaluru district, a man’s despair over his wife’s desertion spiraled into a murderous spree on April 1, 2025.
Rathnakar, a 40-year-old school van driver, gunned down his seven-year-old daughter, Moulya, his 50-year-old mother-in-law, Jyothi, and his 26-year-old sister-in-law, Sindhu, before turning the weapon on himself. The bloodbath unfolded late Tuesday night during the ‘Hosa Toduku’ festival at his in-laws’ home, leaving the community in shock.
Police say Rathnakar’s fury stemmed from his wife abandoning him and their daughter two years ago, moving to Bengaluru. The final straw came when Moulya, teased at school about her mother’s absence, questioned him—a moment he recorded in a haunting selfie video.
“She took a photo from our album to show her friends,” he lamented, blaming his wife’s betrayal. Enraged, he stormed his in-laws’ house, suspecting his estranged wife might be there. She wasn’t—but his daughter and relatives paid the price.
One survivor, his sister-in-law’s husband, was shot but clung to life, now battling in a hospital. The Balehonnur police have launched a probe, with Superintendent Vikram Amate citing a “long-standing family dispute” as the trigger.
For Magalur, this festival night turned into a grim tale of vengeance and loss, etched in the echoes of a father’s unraveling mind.
