Financial woes lead TN couple to kill their 3 children, themselves

In a shocking incident, a carpenter and his wife killed themselves after allegedly murdering their three minor children in Villupuram district in Tamil Nadu due to “financial reasons”, police said on Monday.

40-year-old Mohanraj, his wife Vimaleswari (37), and three children were found hanging from the roof of their house in Puthupalayam in Valavanur in the district on Monday morning. The incident came to light after Mohanraj’s father-in-law came to his daughter’s house.

“Prima facie, it appears there is no foul play. It looks like the couple killed the children first and died by suicide. We are investigating the case from all angles,” a police officer told Deccan Herald. He added that financial issues seem to be the reason behind the incident.

Mohanraj, who had availed loan for constructing a new building in his village, was under pressure to pay back the money as his earnings were affected severely during the Covid-19 situation.

“The initial investigation has revealed that financial reason is behind the extreme step that the couple took. Mohanraj did avail a loan to improve his business but he was not able to pay it back on time,” the officer added. The bodies have been sent to Government Villupuram Medical College Hospital in Mundiyampakkam for autopsy.

Villupuram MP D Ravikumar claimed the carpenter was threatened by the lenders to repay the loan due to which he might have taken the extreme step.

“The incident took place after the loaners threatened the carpenter by sending people to his house. The police should take strict measures against the company for such activities. Providing loans at huge interest is a punishable crime and justice should be done to the deceased,” he said.