Beltangady: In a shocking incident, poison was added to the drinking water tank used by a family at Basadi Nayikatte in Neriya village in the taluk, with the specific intention of killing the family members living in the house. This incident came to light on Saturday November 28 morning.

The poison was added to the water tank of Umarabba's home in the above locality. His family members have expressed the view that poison would have been added by miscreants relating to family dispute raging in the family circles of Umabarabba since sometime.

Umarabba's son, who got up early in the day on Saturday, was performing morning ablutions when he felt that the water was smelly. He went up and checked the tank. He found that some oil-like substance was floating in the tank. Further examination revealed that it was poisonous.

Although Umarabba had got up in the wee hours before others, and left to attend to rubber tapping in the nearby plantation after having tea, he was not harmed as he luckily had used the water stored on the previous night to make tea, it is learnt.

It is guessed that someone had mixed poisonous substance in the said water tanker on Friday night. Only investigations will be able to throw light on the culprits involved and establish the kind of the substance used.