Bengaluru: A family in Nelamangala was shattered after a couple who had shared more than two decades of married life died within hours of each other Friday. The husband’s death was due to suspected gas leakage from a geyser, while his wife later killed herself, leaving behind a death note.The deceased have been identified as Raju, 48, a driver, and his wife Meena, 42, an employee of a private bank in Bengaluru. Married for 21 years, the couple are survived by their 19-year-old son. Police said Raju returned home from work Friday evening and went to take a bath. His son, who had stepped out, came back around 30 minutes later and knocked on the door. When there was no response for half an hour, he alerted the neighbours, who forced open the door and found Raju dead inside the bathroom.The son informed his mother, who immediately left her office. However, when Meena reached Jakkasandra, where the family was building a new house, she hanged herself from a tree.A police officer said the couple were natives of Kunigal in Tumakuru district. In her death note, Meena wrote that she could not live even for a minute without her husband. She also listed details of the family’s loans and assets to be transferred in her son’s name. The note ended with the words “please forgive me,” which police believe were meant for her son.Preliminary investigation revealed that the family lived in a rented house where the bathroom had no ventilation.
