COIMBATORE: Pressured by loan sharks to repay a loan of Rs 3.5 lakhs, a 25-year-old man committed suicide by hanging at his house in Devampalayam, Kovilpalayam on Thursday. The police have registered a case against two of the loan sharks, for provoking the man to commit suicide.
Police said, the deceased, K Sakthivel from Kovilpalayam, was working as a cleaner in a lorry. He and his mother, Meenakshi, 50, had borrowed Rs 1.3 lakhs from two loan sharks by pledging the documents of their house in January of 2015. The two accused, Maragathamani and Geetha, had loaned the amount to Sakthivel. They then demanded the return of the money along with interest, which amounted to a total of Rs 3.5 lakhs. On Wednesday night, Sakthivel hanged himself with a piece of clothing from the ceiling of the home where he was residing. Police said, the house had been unlocked and that he had used a shawl to tie a noose around a wooden beam.
The Kovilpalayam police, booked the two loan sharks, under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the IPC.
Man Makes Suicide Bid Fearing Arrest
A 45-year-old man, who had seen pictures of the body of his close friend in newspapers, panicked thinking he would be arrested for the murder.
He attempted to commit suicide at his house on Thursday morning. Police identified the man as G Suresh Gobi, from Amman Kovil Street, Anamalai. He had been employed as a temporary worker and a driver at the Masaniamman Temple Trust.
On Wednesday, police had found the body of N Gnanam (47), of SRS Mill Road, Pollachi with severe head injuries, and police registered a case of murder and began investigations in this regard.
Suresh Gobi had seen pictures of his friend in the local newspapers, and had panicked.
“During the investigation, it was learnt that Gnanam and Gobi had been friends for five years. They used to drive taxis and became close. As they were regularly seen together and Gobi was the last person seen with Gnanam before his murder, Gobi feared that he would be arrested by the police,” said a senior officer.