Karnataka artist Leeladhar Shetty and wife Vasundhara end life after adopted daughter goes missing

UDUPI: Leeladhar Shetty, a social worker and theatre artist based in Karnataka, and his wife Vasundhara Shetty ended their life at their house on Tuesday, December 12, as confirmed by the police. While Shetty was 68, his wife was 59 years old. 

PTI reports that the couple was found hanging from the ceiling in their home in Majoor village of Kaup taluk in the Udupi district in Karnataka. While the reason behind the extreme step has not been declared yet by the police, reports say that the artist couple took the tragic decision after their 17-year-old adopted daughter allegedly went missing.

Leeladhar Shetty, the founder of Rangataranga drama troupe in Kaup, was a renowned theatre artist. He was also a social worker and a popular figure in his taluk, having contested the elections from the Kaup assembly constituency. Shetty was a former president of the Kaup Buntara Sangha and also the president of the Majoor gram Panchayat.  

The final rites of Leeladhar Shetty and Vasundhara Shetty took place on December 13 in Kaup. Thousands of admirers paid their last respects, as the funeral procession made its way to the Majur school grounds before the funeral of Shetty and his wife took place. Those present included Kaup MLA Gurme Suresh Shetty, former MLAs Lalaji R Mendon and Vinay Kumar Sorake, and other people from the political and social work arena.

Police are on the lookout for the missing teenaged girl and have registered a case of kidnapping.