Elderly couple die by suicide over alleged harassment by cyber fraudsters in Karnataka
BELAGAVI: An old couple died by suicide late on Thursday night after the mental torture by unidentified cyber fraudsters through video calls in Karnataka's Belagavi disctrict.
The deceased, identified as Diago Santan Nazareth (82) and his wife Flaviana Nazareth (79), were residents of Bidi, near Khanapur. Diago reportedly slit his throat while his wife consumed poison.
According to Belagavi Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled, the couple had transferred more than Rs 50 lakh to the cyber fraudsters after receiving threat calls from them and later decided to end their lives when the harassment continued unabated.
Flaviana was found lying dead inside their home, while Diego was found dead in a pool of blood in an underground water tank in their house. Upon discovering the bodies, their neighbors immediately informed the Nandgad police, and the bodies were shifted to the Government Hospital, Khanapur.
A suicide note written in English was recovered from the location, in which the couple mentioned that they had taken a hand loan from a few people in Goa, which they said should be repaid by selling their assets. Diego, in the note, stated that he had been threatened by an individual claiming to be a high-ranking telecom official from Delhi. The alleged fraudster had threatened Diego that he was being "digitally arrested" for the misuse of his SIM card.
Diego had retired from Mantralaya (secretariat), the Government of Maharashtra. He had also coached many students for competitive and other exams.
The SP said that the police would initiate all measures to book the criminals and facilitate the settling of loans and other matters as per the suicide note.
In his suicide note, Diego urged that the bodies should be donated to the medical colleges for studies. Accordingly, the bodies were to be handed over to BIMS as desired by the couple.
However, the BIMS did not accept the bodies due to technical reasons. Later, both the bodies were buried at a Bidi cemetery.
(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, Tele Manas - 14416 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)