Hyderabad couple with fever ends life over coronavirus fear
HYDERABAD: An elderly couple, who had been suffering from fever and cough for the past 10 days, died by suicide on Friday night, over fears of having contracted COVID-19. They consumed poison at their rented home in Khairatabad. The Punjagutta police found a suicide note, which stated that they killed themselves to prevent the disease from spreading to their grandchildren who stay with them.
The deceased have been identified as YV Naidu, 63, and his wife YV Laxmi, 60. The couple stayed with their children and grandchildren. They were sick for over 10 days and were worried they might have contracted COVID-19. On Friday night, they locked themselves in their room and consumed soft drinks laced with poison.
On Saturday, one of their sons YV Raju knocked on their door. When there was no response, he and his brother broke down the door, only to find them dead. “We examined the room where the couple was found dead, and discovered a suicide letter, in which Laxmi had written that they were worried they might have been infected by COVID-19 and killed themselves to protect their family,” the police said. The police registered a case of suspicious death and moved the bodies to a mortuary. They said they would conduct tests on the bodies to check whether the couple was, in fact, infected by the virus.
Couple consumed poison as they wanted to protect grandkids
Their fear of having contracted the virus coupled with the fact that their grandchildren stayed in the same house, made them afraid that they might inadvertently pass on the virus to their grandchildren. Concerned for the grandkids’ safety, the couple decided to take the extreme step without letting their sons realise their intentions