THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 47-year-old man and a 37-year-old woman who lived with him allegedly ended their lives by hanging at their rented house at Kavalakulam near Neyyattinkara here on Monday. The police who found the bodies sent the duo’s 20-day-old child, who was in the house when they committed suicide, to the custody of Kerala State Council for Child Welfare.
Neyyattinkara police officials said Shiju Stephen and Prameelaa had left their respective spouses and had been staying together for the past three years. They were in dire straits and this could have prompted them to end their lives, said the police.
“Shiju used to be a successful building contractor but his personal issues, especially his relationship with Prameela, affected his business. While he was trying to get things together, the pandemic struck. Since then, his financial condition had been on the decline. He had not paid rent for the past four months,” said a source in the police. The source said Shiju had purchased construction materials in bulk and owed a sizeable sum of money to the companies.
SHO Sagar V N said they suspect that Shiju committed suicide and upon seeing him dead, Prameela took the extreme step. “It seems Prameela brought Shiju’s body down by cutting the rope and then hanged herself,” Sagar said.
(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 9152987821, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm).