Mehsana, June 8 (IANS) Three members of a family have reportedly died by suicide after jumping into the Narmada canal near Kadi in Gujarat’s Mehsana district, police said on Sunday.

Preliminary investigations suggest sustained harassment of the family, comprising a man, his wife and their 10-year-old child, by private moneylenders as the main reason behind the tragedy.

The victims, residents of Sankheshwar, left behind a suicide note recovered from their vehicle parked near the canal.

The suicide note reportedly names loan sharks as the source of relentless mental pressure and threats, ultimately pushing the family to take this extreme step.

Local police from the Kadi police station reached the spot after being alerted and recovered the bodies from the canal.

The bodies of the three deceased victims have been sent to the government hospital for post-mortem.

According to officials, the deceased couple were both in their late thirties, and their child was around 10-years-old.

The police have seized the family’s mobile phone and vehicle for forensic examination.

Statements from relatives and close contacts are being recorded as part of the ongoing investigation.

Kadi police have registered a case and assured that action will be taken based on the suicide note and further evidence.

This incident once again highlights the growing crisis of informal lending and loan shark practices in rural and semi-urban Gujarat, where vulnerable families often fall prey to exorbitant interest rates and coercive tactics.

Police have urged the people to report such harassment and promised strong legal action against those found guilty of abetment to suicide.

Meanwhile, similar incidents have been reported across Gujarat.

In July 2024, a 45-year-old man in Junagadh died by suicide after being relentlessly hounded by a private moneylender over a small loan of Rs 5,000, which had increased to Rs 50,000 due to exorbitant interest rates.

His wife later filed a complaint accusing the moneylender of the abetment to suicide.

In January 2023, 42-year-old Kamlesh Radadiya of Surat consumed poison under pressure from loan sharks. Police registered charges of abetment to suicide and extortion in the case.

In March 2023, a businessman in Rajkot allegedly hanged himself after losing his property to moneylenders demanding inflated interest. Police booked four individuals under abetment laws.

–IANS

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