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‘Everyone is selfish’: Cry for help surfaces in Lucknow family suicide note; FIR lodged
The family of three, a 48-year-old cloth merchant, his 45-year-old wife, and their 16-year-old daughter, was cremated on Tuesday at Gulala Ghat, even as police deepened their investigation into what initially appeared to be a suicide pact.
“No one helps. Everyone is selfish.” These words, found in a suicide note, believed to be penned by the woman, who died along with her husband and teenage daughter in Lucknow’s Chowk area on Monday, have brought into focus a haunting story of emotional isolation and financial distress.
The family of three, a 48-year-old cloth merchant, his 45-year-old wife, and their 16-year-old daughter, was cremated on Tuesday at Gulala Ghat, even as police deepened their investigation into what initially appeared to be a suicide pact.
According to the police, the handwritten note points to a painful mix of strained family ties, unresolved grief, and mounting debt. Police say the letter is now central to their probe. The woman wrote that her repeated pleas for emotional support were ignored. “No one helps. Everyone is selfish,” the note read. She had reportedly asked her mother to live with them, but her request was declined due to pressure from a sibling.
The note also refers to the alleged harassment by another relative and questions surrounding the death of her brother, which she called suspicious.
The teenage girl, who had reportedly ironed her school uniform the night before, remains the most heartbreaking reminder of a tragedy that unfolded silently behind closed doors. The letter ends with a line about her daughter: “She did not know there would be no morning.”
Deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (West), Vishwajeet Srivastava, said, “While this appears to be a suicide case, the letter points to more complex personal issues that need to be investigated thoroughly.”
The police have not ruled out the possibility of mental harassment and are collecting statements from extended family and neighbours. The content of the note is also being verified for authenticity and context.
Meanwhile, late Tuesday night, Chowk police registered an FIR against the deceased woman’s elder sister, Mudita and her husband, Vivek Siddharth, on charges of abetment to suicide, based on a complaint filed by Sharad Rastogi, brother of the deceased cloth merchant.
ACP Chowk Raj Kumar Singh confirmed the development. “Rastogi alleged that his brother (cloth merchant) had borrowed around ₹40 lakh, including money from private lenders, and handed it over to Vivek and Mudita. They were told the amount would be returned after the sale of a family plot in Nepalganj, Nepal, believed to be in Mudita’s name,” the officer said.
However, when the couple visited Nepal about two weeks ago to verify the land details, they reportedly discovered that the plot was not in Mudita’s name, but registered in the names of her children. The discovery, according to the complaint, left them feeling betrayed and helpless.
On Sunday evening, the trader handed over his house keys to a relative, saying the family was heading out of town. Earlier, he had shut his shop in Rajajipuram early, citing the possibility of rain.
The following morning, the family’s daughter made a distress call to a relative, saying her parents were unwell. By the time help arrived and the house was unlocked, all three were found unconscious. Doctors at the trauma centre declared them dead.
Investigators recovered empty celphos poison pouches and soft drink bottles from the scene. Police suspect the pesticide was mixed with the beverage and consumed late Sunday night.
‘Recovery agents came, saw police, and left’
Even as police and relatives gathered outside a house in Chowk on Monday morning, trying to make sense of a triple suicide, a group of visitors quietly arrived and then quickly left. According to local residents, a group of men, believed to be loan recovery agents, arrived at the doorstep on Monday morning, just as police and relatives were gathered outside. “They came to the door like they usually did,” a neighbour told HT. “But when they saw the police, they left without saying a word.”
Residents allege that these agents had been visiting frequently in recent weeks, their behaviour often aggressive and confrontational. “They would show up unannounced, raise their voice, and shame the family in front of others,” a shopkeeper on the same street said. “It was humiliating to watch.”
As per police investigations, the family had been under intense financial pressure, with debts estimated to be between ₹45 to ₹50 lakh, including ₹20 lakh from private moneylenders. Investigating officers are looking into whether the harassment from creditors contributed to the decision to take the extreme step.
What has shocked many in the neighbourhood is the reported visit by recovery agents even after news of the deaths had spread. “It shows how mechanical the system has become. They came back as if nothing had happened,” a local resident said, claiming that the agents had come three times in the week before the deaths as well.
