On August 9, a 45-year-old goldsmith, Santosh Acharya, was discovered dead in a decomposed state at his rented house on Chikkanasalu Road, opposite Jai Hind Hotel. The house belongs to Nagaraj. Acharya, who had been working as a goldsmith in Kundapur for the past 25 years, regularly visited his home in Uppoor near Brahmavar once a week.
The discovery was made after his brother, Suresh Acharya, attempted to contact him on Nagara Panchami when Santosh failed to visit the family as planned. With Santosh’s phone switched off, Suresh sent a friend to check on him. Upon arrival, the friend detected a foul odor emanating from the house, leading to the grim discovery. Santosh was found lying on his bed with the door locked from the inside, the fan still running, and earphones in his ears.
The body was initially moved to the government hospital mortuary before being sent to Manipal Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Preliminary reports suggest that Santosh may have suffered a heart attack on the night of August 6, as he had sent a “Good Morning” message to a friend earlier that day.
Santosh Acharya, who was unmarried, is survived by his mother, two brothers, and a sister. His unexpected death has left his family and the local community in shock.