The incident took place at Imadapur village in Sedam taluk of Kalaburagi district in Karnataka.
| Photo Credit: Photo for representation only
Four persons, including a mother-son duo, died after consuming herbal medicine given by a self-declared folk healer for alcohol de-addiction at Imadapur village in Sedam taluk of Kalaburagi district in Karnataka on August 6-7.
The victims are Lakshmi Narasimhalu (45), a hotel employee and resident of Buragapalli village; and her son Ningappa Narasimhalu (21); Nagesh Gadugu (27) of Madakal village, and Ganesh Rathod (30) from Dakka tanda in Shahabad taluk of Kalaburagi district.
Three of the victims died on August 6 evening, and one reportedly died on August 7.
A complaint was lodged by Navitha Bhagappa Kachavar at Sedam police station on August 6 in which she stated that her mother Lakshmi Narasimhalu and her brother Ningappa called her on August 5 to obtain a token number from a traditional healer named Fakirappa of Imadapur village for getting medicines for the de-addiction.
Navitha, along with her husband, visited Imadapur on August 6 morning to collect a token for consultation while her mother Lakshmi and brother Ningappa reached Imadapur at noon.
By 2 p.m., the traditional healer Fakirappa gave a concoction of herbal medicine to Lakshmi, Ningappa, and also Nagesh and Ganesh. All four of them fell unconscious after consuming the medication.
The victims were initially rushed to Sedam taluk hospital and then shifted to Gulbarga Institute of Medical Sciences (GIMS) in Kalaburagi. Lakshmi, Nagesh and Ganesh breathed their last on August 6 while Ningappa died on August 7.
Superintendent of Police Adduru Srinivasulu said that Fakirappa was arrested and sent to judicial custody on August 7.
Former MLA Rajkumar Patil Telkur demanded compensation of ₹25 lakh each from the government of Karnataka to the families of the victims.
Published – August 08, 2025 01:20 pm IST
