MADURAI: Two men were arrested in Madurai on Saturday after a couple that had borrowed Rs 30,000 from them attempted to die by suicide on September 11. While 47-year-old K Raja succumbed that day, his wife, 38-year-old Malaiselvi is undergoing treatment at the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai.
The accused were identified as A Siva from Alanganallur and S Vinoth from Ulaganeri. They were arrested by Melur police on a complaint from Malaiselvi for usury and use of obscene language.
Police said Raja and Malaiselvi resided at Kattapatti area in Melur with their two daughters. Raja used to run a bakery called Mahalakshmi Bakery and borrowed Rs 30,000 from Vinoth and Siva at an exorbitant interest rate. Struggling to pay the interest, Raja closed the bakery.
On September 11, the two men allegedly used obscene language against Raja and Malaiselvi in public. Feeling humiliated, the couple decided to end their lives on that day. However, their neighbours found and rushed them to the Government Rajaji Hospital in Madurai, where Raja died.
‘A moneylender forced Malaiselvi to clean loo’
Police said that although the couple had borrowed money from several people only the two accused had harassed them. However, Malaiselvi’s father T Packiyam told TNIE that one woman who had lent Rs 60,000 to Malaiselvi had forced his daughter to work as a domestic help in her house and clean toilets.
It was also alleged that when Malaiselvi stopped going to the woman’s house after paying off the interest, the woman allegedly came and used abusive language against her. However, the police refuted his claims. In the note she’d written before her suicide bid, Malaiselvi had said none was available to help them overcome usury.
She’d asked police to protect her daughters from money-lenders on her death.
(Assistance to those having suicidal thoughts is available at Tamil Nadu Health Department Helpline 104 and Sneha’s helpline 044-24640050)