'Ruined My Family': NRI Woman Takes Own Life, Suicide Note Accuses Australian Officials Over Custody Battle

The Australian NRI woman who recently committed suicide in Karnataka accused the Australian authorities and some residents of a Sydney neighbourhood of harassing her family in her death note.

A 40-year-old Non-Resident Indian (NRI) woman hailing from Karnataka's Dharwad, Priyadarshini Lingaraj Patil, committed suicide by jumping into the Malaprabha river near Saundatti in Belagavi district on August 20, news agency IANS reported citing police officials on Friday. In a suicide note, Priyadarshini accused Australian authorities and residents of a locality in Sydney of harassing her family. The note sheds light on her family's legal battle regarding the custody of her children and the distressing circumstances that pushed her to this step.

As per the report, Priyadarshini, who had recently arrived in Bengaluru from Australia, made her way to Hubballi and subsequently Belagavi by bus. The cause behind her suicide, as detailed in the note addressed to her father, revolves around the custody of her children.

Her son Amartya's health issues prompted her to seek medical attention, and when his condition worsened due to alleged side-effects of the treatment, she filed a complaint against the hospital, the report said. 

Priyadarshini claimed that the authorities accused her of being incapable of caring for her children, leading to the government taking custody of them. Despite her efforts to regain custody, she was unsuccessful, it said. 

The distress was magnified when she sought the Australian government's intervention to bring her children to India for treatment, and her pleas went unanswered. According to the report, her family asserts that the trauma of losing her children, coupled with her health problems, drove Priyadarshini to take her own life.

As per IANS, The note reads, "Our lives are threatened. I am compelled to end my life for the survival of my children and husband Lingaraj. I am accepting my death for the good of my family."

According to the report, Priyadarshini also pointed fingers at Australian authorities, particularly the Department of Communities and Justice (DCJ), alleging that their actions had devastated her family. She went on to accuse residents of Verlie Street in Sydney of harassment, and even claimed that the water supplied to her house had been poisoned.

"From 2021 to the present day DCJ (Australia's Department of Communities and Justice) has ruined my family. The residents of Verlie Street in Sydney have harassed us," her note read. 

The police have initiated an investigation into the matter, the report said.