Karnataka teen ‘addicted to mobile gaming’ stabs father and sister to death, tries to kill himself

2 min readBengaluruJun 8, 2026 10:43 AM IST

A 17-year-old boy in Karnataka’s Koppal district allegedly killed his father and sister, injured his mother, and attempted suicide (Image generated using AI).

A 17-year-old boy, reportedly addicted to mobile gaming, allegedly killed his father and sister, injured his mother, and later attempted to kill himself in Karnataka’s Koppal district late Saturday night.

The police said the crime took place in the Ayodhya village of Gangavathi taluk around 10.30 pm. The deceased were identified as Venkata Naidu, 45, who worked as a supervisor in a private school, and his daughter Pragathi, 19. Naidu’s wife Soujanya, 38, is severely injured in the attack and is under treatment in a hospital. The minor accused is also currently undergoing treatment. Besides the four, Naidu’s parents also lived with them in the house.

The police filed a case under sections 103 (murder) and 109 (attempt to murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) at the Gangavathi Rural police station based on Naidu’s father Thata Rao’s complaint.

Based on the complaint, Ram L Arasiddi, Koppal Superintendent of Police (SP), said that the family had dinner around 9 pm on Saturday. Later, around 10.30 pm, a loud noise was heard from a room and Rao tried to open the door but it was locked from inside, as per the complaint.

With the help of neighbours, the door was opened, and all four were found bleeding, Rao said in his complaint. While the boy had minor injuries, others had serious stab injuries, he added.

Rao stated in his complaint that Soujanya had told him that her son had stabbed them during the attack and also tried to kill himself, but was unsuccessful.

A police officer said that Rao alleged that the boy was addicted to mobile gaming and would become easily agitated if someone spoke to him while he was playing. The officer also said that the boy had been demanding money from Naidu, which he refused to give.