Driven by penury, four of family commit suicide near Chennai, three others survive

Police said the family was under a huge debt and had lost their house which was placed as collateral for the loans.

Four members of family including a woman committed suicide on the outskirts of Chennai on Saturday while doctors managed to save three others including two children, police said.

The family is suspected to have poisoned itself. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

The deceased whose bodies were found in Annanur area were identified as Govindasamy (65), his wife Subbammal (60) and their two sons Nagarajan (35) and Ravi(30). The victims are suspected to have poisoned themselves.

“Govindasamy and Subbammal’s daughter Kalyani (28) and her daughters Sarvesvari (8) and Yogeswari(6) had also attempted the suicide but they were saved and are under treatment in Kilpauk Government Medical College Hospital (KMCH) in Chennai. They are recovering now,” said an inquiry officer.

The suicides came to light when Kalyani’s husband Arumugam came to his wife’s maternal home on Saturday evening and no one opened the door for a long time.

“He broke open the door which was locked from inside. He found all, including his wife and daughters unconscious and foaming at their mouths. He then informed the police and an ambulance service. But by then, four had already lost their lives,” the officer added.

“The initial probe has revealed that the family was in a huge debt. Govindasamy, a construction worker, had borrowed huge money for the marriage of his two sons and daughter. He had pledged his house in Annanur for the debts and lost it. That might have driven them to commit suicide,” a senior police officer who did not want to be named.

Govindasamy’s sons Nagarajan and Ravi used to work with him at construction sites.

“Apart from the debt, Govindasamy’s family was distressed as both his sons’ marriages ended in divorce,” the police officer said.

The house where Govindasamy, his wife and sons took their lives was a rented one. Police have registered a suicide case and sent the bodies for autopsy.

Police said there were also probing whether any money lenders forced the aged couple to pay high interest for the loan.