The police are on the lookout for a 55-year-old man, who was trying to eliminate an entire village by poisoning the main water tank. The Bengaluru Rural police said Nagaraj of Mandi Byadarahalli in Doddaballapura put pesticide into the water tank from where the villagers draw water.
But the tank was dry at the time of Nagaraj’s criminal deed as the village receives water once in two days, the police said. Recently, one of Nagaraj’s pregnant daughters was caught after she allegedly stole gold ornaments and Rs 1 lakh cash from a neighbour’s house. The villagers called for a panchayat and pardoned her as she was pregnant, though she returned only half of the stolen goods. After the humiliation, Nagaraj and his daughter moved from the village and settled somewhere else.
But Nagaraj returned on Friday and caused a huge public nuisance after getting drunk. Around 4.30 am on Saturday, he was seen moving around suspiciously near the main water tank. Some womenfolk saw him climbing over the water tank and emptying a packet of pesticide into the water. They raised an alarm, but Nagaraj managed to escape. They alerted the village elders, and got the water tank sealed.
Manjula, a villager, said the tank is the main source of water for the village. If the women had not noticed Nagaraj’s misdeed, the whole village would have been suffering from health problems. The tank now needs to be cleaned thoroughly, she added. The Doddabelavanagala police have registered a case against Nagaraj. A case under IPC-270 (malignant act likely to spread infection or disease dangerous to life) has been registered against him. If convicted, Nagaraj will face a maximum prison term of two years or fine, or both.