Published Aug 30, 2026 | 3:14 PM ⚊ Updated Aug 30, 2026 | 3:18 PM
Police in all three districts have registered cases and opened investigations into the circumstances behind the deaths.
Synopsis: Three separate cases of family suicides were reported in Andhra Pradesh within a week, with police investigating possible financial distress in all three cases. Five family members were found dead at a Srisailam lodge, a couple died by suicide in West Godavari, and four family members died in Visakhapatnam. Investigations are underway.
Three separate cases of alleged suicides involving entire families have rocked the state over the past week, all of which police are investigating from the angle of economic distress.
In the most shocking of the three cases, a family of five from Sri Sathya Sai district were found dead at a lodge in the Srisailam temple town on August 25. They were identified as Pallapu Sudhakar (36), his sisters Adilakshmi (50), Malleswari (45) and Sridevi (33), and Malleswari’s son Manikanta (15).
Lodge staff alerted the police after a foul smell began emanating from the room. Officers who broke in found the bodies in a state of decomposition, suggesting that the deaths had occurred roughly three days earlier.
Atmakur DSP Ramanjaneyulu said the family had checked into the lodge in late July, paying daily rent and extending their stay well beyond the temple trust’s permitted 48-hour limit. Investigators believe prolonged financial distress drove the family to the extreme step. Srisailam temple authorities have since directed private lodges around the shrine to strictly enforce the stay limit.
In West Godavari district, a couple died by suicide after jumping into the Godavari river from the Vashishta bridge near Chinchinada village in Yelamanchili mandal on the night of August 27, leaving their three-year-old child alone on their parked scooter.
Passing motorists who noticed the toddler crying alone in the dark alerted the police, who rescued the child and handed them over to relatives. The deceased were identified as Sai (29) and his wife Sirisha (28) of Velpur village in Tanuku mandal.
Sai, who had earlier worked in the Gulf, had opened a readymade garments store that ran into losses. Residents said mounting debt had forced the couple to sell their house shortly before the incident. Police have registered a case and are investigating.
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The third and most recent case was reported from Chintala Agraharam village in Pendurthi mandal, Visakhapatnam district, where a man, his wife and their two young children were found dead on August 29.
Police suspect Malla Praveen Kumar, an auto driver, poisoned his wife, Ahalya, and their children before taking his own life, though the sequence of events is yet to be confirmed.
Kumar’s extended family were alerted after he posted a family selfie on WhatsApp, captioning it with “RIP”.
A clues team has examined the scene, and the bodies have been sent for post-mortem. Investigators say it is still unclear whether financial strain or a domestic dispute triggered the deaths.
Police in all three districts have registered cases and opened investigations into the circumstances behind the deaths.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
