Madikeri: A man in Kodagu fired gunshots at his brother and sister-in-law over property dispute near Murnad village in Kodagu, killing them instantly. He later aimed the gun at his chest and shot himself. The shots were fired from a close range and the shooter died while he was being shifted to a hospital.

The incident occurred at M. Badaga village near Murnad at around 9.15 am. The deceased are 69-year-old Palangiyanda Devaiah, his wife 65-year-old Prema Dechamma, residents of M. Badaga village. The shooter is Devaiah’s brother 65-year-old Uthappa alias Thammuni, a resident of Mysuru.

According to eye-witnesses and the Police, the brothers had a long-standing dispute over property and eight years ago, one of the brothers approached the Karnataka High Court. While Devaiah and Dechamma were settled in M. Badaga village, Uthappa is a resident of Mysuru and he is an ex-serviceman. He used to go to Kodagu during the time of estate work.

On Jan. 27, the High Court issued a stay over the property dispute and villagers said that Uthappa was upset about this. This morning, he entered the coffee estate with a gun and fired at his brother and sister-in-law while they were picking coffee berries.

The gunshots were heard by another villager Damayanthi who rushed to the spot and alerted the villagers. By the time villagers came, Devaiah and Prema had died while Uthappa was writhing in pain. Villagers bundled him into a jeep and took him to a hospital in Madikeri. Uthappa died on the way.

Police said that Devaiah and Prema had two children. While their son works in Muscat, their daughter is settled in Kodagu. Madikeri Rural Police visited the spot and the bodies have been sent to Madikeri District Mortuary for post-mortem.