Five of family found hanging in Samastipur, probe on

Five members of a family were found hanging inside their house at a village in Bihar’s Samastipur district on Sunday, police said.

SAMASTIPUR: Five members of a family were found hanging inside their house at a village in Bihar’s Samastipur district on Sunday, police said.

According to people aware of the matter, the family was in debt and was under tremendous pressure to repay the loan taken from a self-help group. (Picture for representation)

Superintendent of police (SP) Hriday Kant said that the bodies were found hanging from a wooden beam of the house. “A probe has been initiated. We can’t tell anything at this juncture. Forensic and postmortem reports will help us ascertain the exact cause of death,” the SP said.

According to people aware of the matter, the family was in debt and was under tremendous pressure to repay the loan taken from a self-help group. “The loan amount mounted and the family had to suffer disgrace and humiliation which may have forced them to take the extreme step,” locals said.

As per the police, the loan amount taken by the family is not known yet.

“Some evidence has been collected from the spot and a probe has been initiated to ascertain the exact cause of death,” police added.

Deputy superintendent of police (DSP) Dinesh Kumar Pandey said a few people allegedly involved in money lending have been detained for interrogation. “Police are looking at the case from both the angle of suicide as well as murder,” the DSP said.

Meanwhile, education minister Vijay Kumar Choudhary, who hails from the same district, said the police would probe the incident from all angles. “A thorough probe will be done,” he said.,