Man Dies, Two Missing After Family Jumps into Godavari; Note Alleges Harassment
The body of K. Nooka Raju, a 61-year-old Assistant Engineer with the Panchayat Raj Department in Kakinada district, was recovered from the Godavari river on Monday evening. Raju, along with his wife Meena (58), daughter Sowjanya (38), and 10-year-old grandson, jumped into the river from the Road-cum-Rail bridge in Rajamahendravaram city in Andhra Pradesh on Sunday night.
While the body has been identified, the search continues for Meena and Sowjanya. The 10-year-old grandson survived the attempt; fisherfolk found him unconscious on an island in the river and rescued him. The search operation, supported by the State Disaster Response Force, continued till 7 p.m. on Monday and will resume on Tuesday, police said.
A suicide note dated August 16, believed to have been left by Raju in the car, has become the key piece of evidence. Addressed to the Kakinada District Collector and Superintendent of Police, the note alleges that S.K. Sadhik Khan, who runs the PRO Rifle Shooting Academy, had been harassing Raju's daughter since her husband died in February this year. Khan allegedly promised to take care of her, but turned threatening when the family rejected his proposal, the note says.
The note further claims that Khan threatened to eliminate Raju and his grandson, and had taken the family's bank accounts and valuable belongings into his possession by threatening them. '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, according to The Hindu, which accessed it.
South Division DSP A. Siva Priya said the note has been sent to a forensic laboratory for examination. 'The investigation is in progress,' she said. Based on the grandson's statement and the suicide note, a case has been registered against Khan under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with abetment of suicide. Special teams have been deployed to trace Khan.
The incident came to light after a man crossing the bridge alerted police at approximately 11.32 p.m. on Sunday.
Jana Sena Party chief Pawan Kalyan spoke to Kakinada SP G. Bindu Madhav and East Godavari SP D. Narasimha Kishore on Monday, asking them to speed up the investigation. According to an official release from the East Godavari Jana Sena Party, Kalyan said the accused who reportedly drove the family to take the extreme step should be booked.
Authorities have urged anyone facing distress or having suicidal thoughts to seek help. The Rajamahendravaram city police helpline is available at 70757-49825, and the Tele-MANAS mental health helpline at 14416 provides access to professional counselling and support.
