In connection with the death of four tourists at a Digambar Jain dharamshala in Rajgir, Nalanda Police will send a team to Karnataka as part of the ongoing investigation. Preliminary findings suggest the case may be a suspected suicide linked to family discord and mental stress, officials said.
Confirming the development, Rajgir Police Station House Officer Raman Kumar said relatives of the victims have already reached Bihar and shared important details with the police.
“The family has arrived from Karnataka and visited the police station. They have provided several details related to the incident. A police team will go to Karnataka for further investigation. Reports suggesting otherwise are incorrect,” he said.
The incident came to light on Friday, February 6, when four bodies were found inside a room at the Digambar Jain dharamshala in Rajgir. The deceased were identified as GR Sumangala (78), Shilpa (48), Shrutha GB (43), and GR Naga Prasad (50), all residents of Pete Gubbi village in Tumakuru district of Karnataka.
Following the discovery, police sent the bodies for post-mortem examination and informed the relatives with the help of Karnataka Police. The last rites were performed on Saturday at Gulbi Ghat in Patna in the presence of family members, including Naga Prasad’s uncle, GN Brusubba Raju.
On Sunday, other relatives arrived in Rajgir and donated Rs 1.18 lakh in cash and jewellery recovered from the room to the temple dharamshala. Rajgir DSP Sunil Kumar Singh said several facts have emerged during the investigation.
During coordination with their counterparts in Karnataka, Nalanda Police learned that Naga Prasad had recently been released from jail after spending five months in custody in connection with the murder of his nephew. Police sources said the nephew was allegedly addicted to gambling, and Naga Prasad killed him following repeated disputes.
An engineering graduate, Naga Prasad was reportedly unemployed and under stress as the sole earning member of the family. The family had been on a pilgrimage, travelling via Nepal, and reached Rajgir on January 31.
Information from the dharamshala indicated that the family largely kept to themselves and rarely took part in social or religious gatherings. Investigators also found that the family was under heavy debt, further strengthening the suspicion of suicide. Family members have expressed similar apprehensions.
Police said the final conclusion will be drawn after the post-mortem and forensic science laboratory (FSL) reports are received.
According to Nalanda Police, the family has given consent to destroy the clothes of the deceased. They also informed authorities that the deceased owned one acre of land in their village, and the process to donate the property to the temple dharamshala has been initiated.
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