Four members of a family commit suicide in Gujarat, financial crisis suspected

Preliminary probe has revealed that the victim worked a diamond polisher and financial crisis may have led the family to take this extreme step, police said

Four members of a family were found dead in a suspected case of mass suicide in Gujarat’s Surat, the police said on Thursday.

Representational image.

According to a police official from Sarthana police station in Surat, the 50-year-old man who was a diamond polishing worker, his 45-year-old wife, one son (20) and one daughter (17) took the extreme step outside the house reportedly due to financial problems, while the other two children were at home.

Soon after the incident, they were rushed to the hospital, but died while undergoing treatment on Thursday, the official added.

Confirming the development, vice-president of the Diamond Workers’ Union Gujarat (DWUG) Bhavesh Tank said the victim worked at a small diamond processing unit with about 20-25 employees that was run by one of his distant relatives.

“Earlier, he used to earn about ₹25,000-30,000 per month, but for the last 8-9 months, he was barely able to earn around ₹15,000 per month. The industry has been undergoing a recession for over a year now following the Russia-Ukraine war,” Tank said.

Assistant commissioner of police PK Patel said, “Preliminary probe has revealed that the victim worked a diamond polisher and financial crisis may have led the family to take this extreme step.”

However, a probe is on into the matter to know the exact reasons behind the incident.

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