Realtor swallows poison before Soudha

A 42-year-old real estate agent drank poison before the Vidhana Soudha in a suicide bid, creating high drama at the state’s administrative seat.

Gangadhar, a realtor from Gauribidanur, arrived at the Soudha’s gate no 2. As soon as he got down from his car, he drank from a bottle of poison he had with him in full view of the security personnel. He screamed that injustice had been done to him by another realtor. The shocked security men snatched the bottle from him. Gangadhar was rushed to a private hospital for a checkup.

Police inquiries revealed that a city-based realtor named Shivappa obtained loans with Gangadhar as the guarantor. When Shivappa failed to repay the amount, creditors began pestering Gangadhar for the money.

The harassment was so bad that Gangadhar had to sell his ancestral property to repay the loans. His family alleges that Shivappa is supported by a former MLA’s family in Gauribidanur and he is not paying back the money to Gangadhar.

On Friday, Gangadhar came to meet Shivappa, who insulted him and refused to give back the money. Gangadhar decided to draw the government’s attention by choosing the Vidhana Soudha as the venue for his suicide bid.