Karnataka man kills self over Coronavirus fear, advises family to get tested in suicide note

Bengaluru, Mar 26: A 56-year-old man in Udupi, Karnataka, allegedly committed suicide out of fear that he was infected with the dreaded Coronavirus or (COVID-19), which has killed more than 20,000 people across the globe.

The victim was found hanging near a tree outside his house and has left a note to his family in which he said he had contracted coronavirus. In the letter, he has advised his family members to get tested for the virus.

The deceased has been identified as Gopalakrishna Madivala, a resident of Narnadu in Uppoor village of Udupi taluk. He was working as driver with KSRTC for several years and was recently posted as a trainer of new drivers.

The man had no specific symptoms of the virus infection. He was awake till 2 am in the night, speaking to his family members. He was found hanging from a tree near the house when others in the house woke up at 5 am on Wednesday.

However, police said that he was not in the list of people who had been asked to remain in home quarantine. He also did not display any symptoms, police added.

The fear of the disease might have driven him to take the extreme step, police said.

The man is survived by his wife and two children.