Bengaluru Engineer Dies by Suicide Over Neighbor Harassment

A 45-year-old software engineer in Bengaluru died by suicide at his under-construction home in Nallurahalli on December 3, leaving behind a detailed note accusing neighbors of prolonged harassment and extortion attempts involving local authorities.

Murali Govindaraju, a father of two young daughters and husband to Durgadevi, was found hanging from an iron hook on the second floor of the building around 9:30 a.m. A carpenter who arrived for work discovered the body and alerted the family and police. Govindaraju had left his home in nearby Brookefield Layout around 6 a.m. that morning. Whitefield police recovered a 10-page suicide note in which he described the mental torture he had endured, prompting an investigation into the allegations.

According to a complaint filed by Govindaraju's 61-year-old mother, Lakshmi Govindaraju, the ordeal began after her son purchased a 40-by-60-foot plot in 2018 from a relative of the accused family and started construction earlier this year. The plot is located in Brookefield Layout behind a Shiva Temple. She alleged that Shashi Nambiar, 64, and his wife Usha Nambiar, 57, repeatedly demanded Rs 20 lakh from her son over a property dispute,...