The Thiruvananthapuram Rural police have concluded the deaths of five members of a family in Kallambalam a day ago were due to suicide.
Financial stress had driven the family to take the extreme step, the police found in its investigation. Manikuttan, 54, who used to run an eatery on lease, his wife Sandhya, 37, their son Ajish, 15, daughter Ameya, 13, and Manikuttan’s bedridden mother’s sister Devaki, 78, were found dead in their house in Chathanpara early Saturday.
Manikuttan allegedly ensured the deaths of the others by consumption of poison before hanging himself, the police said. According to the police, Manikuttan had ventured into various business endeavours that led to losses. He had been unable to benefit through a mango farm in Tamil Nadu that he had taken on lease for ₹12 lakh. He could not transport the mangoes harvested in the farm due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Having purchased his elder brother’s house situated nearby for ₹8 lakh, Manikuttan spent around ₹5 lakh to renovate the building. Moreover, a timber business that he recently launched also ran into losses.
The police also said the deceased had been involved in a civil litigation against the new owner of the eatery he ran after the latter asked him to evict the premises. Making matters worse, he was also served notice and fined ₹5,000 by food safety officials for various violations. The family was also perturbed by various ailments that affected them, official sources said.
( Suicide prevention helpline: DISHA – 1056, 0471-2552056)
