RANIPET: A 45-year-old autorickshaw driver from Velam in Ranipet died by suicide on Tuesday after allegedly attempting to murder his two daughters around 3 am that morning. The driver, N Raji (45), had coerced his wife R Indira (41) and his daughters Agalya (22) and Saranya (17) to end their lives, as the family has been suffering from a financial crisis, according to the police.
The police said Raji had mortgaged their house for Rs 3.5 lakh and accumulated a debt of around Rs 5.5 lakh from several private lenders.
Due to the financial crisis, both his daughters had discontinued their education -- Agalya studied till Class 12, while Saranya completed Class 8. Further, Raji had bought and replaced five autorickshaws for various reasons, the police said, adding that the family had previously attempted suicide.
Unable to deal with the crisis and worried about his daughters’ marriage, during the wee hours of Tuesday, Raji allegedly coerced his family to take the extreme step. However, when he was about to murder the daughters, Indira let out a cry for help, following which a few neighbours rescued the daughters and admitted them to Walajah Government Hospital.
Later, the two were shifted to the Government Hospital in Adukkamparai in Vellore. The police said the elder daughter, whose condition is serious, has been kept on a ventilator, while the younger daughter is still in shock.
Meanwhile, the police said, Raji left his home and died by suicide. The railway police found his body near the Marudalam level crossing around 9 am and sent it to the Walajah Government Hospital for postmortem examination.
A case has been registered and an investigation is on.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on TN’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)