Shivamogga: On November 21, a couple walked up to Lake Kodi near Mandagadde in Shivamogga, Karnataka. It was not to spend a romantic evening together but to consume poison and die together.

Counting their final moments, they sent a message to some friends, who rushed to the spot and took them to McGann Hospital in the town. While the man (22) died on Wednesday, the woman is battling for life.

Life for the couple went awry a few days ago when they decided to go for a walk together in a park. A gang of men, known as the Yasin gang, attacked them. They dragged them to a remote place, filmed them together and demanded money from them. Initially, they demanded Rs 5,000, which the boy gave after the group threatened to release the video on social media.

But the gang did not end it here. They demanded Rs 5 lakh from the lovers. Again with the same threat that if they failed to pay up the extortion amount, their video would be out on social media in no time.

The couple knew that they would not be able to arrange for Rs 5 lakh. They saw no alternative but to take the drastic step.

The man was a rice mill worker who hailed from Hosuru Matti. The woman is from Ragi Hosahalli. A case in this regard has been booked at the Kumsi police station.