Gadag, 6 Nov

A 40-year-old man allegedly threw his two children and a nephew into the Tungabhadra River before jumping in himself near Korlahalli in Mundargi taluk of this district, police said on Wednesday.

Police suspect that a quarrel between Manjappa Arakeri and his wife on Tuesday night may have led him to take this extreme step. A search operation is underway to trace the bodies of Arakeri, his children Dhanya, 6, Pavan, 4, and nephew Vedant, 3, they added.

Preliminary inquiries revealed that Arakeri was an alcoholic and often fought with his wife over petty issues, a senior police officer said. Following the quarrel with his wife, he allegedly went to the Korlahalli bridge over the river with the children and jumped into the river after throwing them in, he said. "A search operation is underway to recover their bodies from the river," he added. PTI