Allegations in suicide note false: Landlord

The landlord, who had been accused of harassment in the suicide note by a senior citizen brother-sister duo at Mulund, has told the Navghar police that he was trying to help them and allegations in their suicide note were false. HT reports.

The landlord, who had been accused of harassment in the suicide note by a senior citizen brother-sister duo at Mulund, has told the Navghar police that he was trying to help them and allegations in their suicide note were false.

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Sudhir Samel (65) and his sister Shakuntala (61) hanged themselves at the Malharwadi chawl on Tuesday leaving a note saying their landlord, Raju Dedhia (45), had forcibly evicted them from their house, sold their belongings and left them without any means or reasons to live.

Dedhia, in his statement, has said the duo had not paid the rent of his flat since three months but he never harassed them. They volunteered to vacate the SRA flat after no family member offered any help.

“For the first year, they paid the rent promptly. After they started defaulting, they asked us to deduct it from the deposit. When the deposit ran out, they begged us to help as they didn’t even have money for food. Sudhir had asked me to sell their furniture and other possessions to raise money,” said Dedhia.

“A week before their death, when Sudhir suddenly disappeared for two days, I took care of his physically challenged sister,” said Nita, Dedhia’s wife.

According to Dedhia, the duo had taken money from him and shifted out on July 25. Due to heavy showers, they asked for an alternate place to live till season end. Police will question the scrap dealers who bought the furniture said sub inspector Chandrakant Kathade. The family of the deceased has not made any allegation against Dedia.