Couple ends lives in suicide pact

A couple committed suicide at their home in western Bengaluru’s Vijayanagar on Thursday night. Police suspect that financial difficulties drove them to the extreme step.

Dharmaraj, 55, and his wife Bhagya, 50, were found hanging from the ceiling when their son returned home on Thursday night.

A senior police officer said the couple appeared to have had a lot of debt but he clarified that a clear picture would emerge only after the couple’s relatives were questioned after the final rites.

The couple had been living near Harihar Temple in Vijayanagar for the past few years along with their son, Darshan, his wife and children. Darshan runs a bakery nearby. With schools being shut over the coronavirus pandemic, Darshan’s wife and children had gone to their hometown.

The couple is suspected to have committed suicide around Thursday midnight, just half an hour before Darshan returned from the bakery. He found the doors locked from the inside and started knocking but there was no response. He then checked with neighbours, and with their help, broke the door open. All of them were stunned to see the couple hanging.

Vijayanagar police rushed to the spot after being informed and sent the body for post-mortem.