20 hours Ago
Surat: Three family members died in suicide pact at their home in the the jurisdiction of Amroli police station, allegedly due to acute financial crisis and pressure to repay Rs one lakh they took as token amount from a buyer of their property put up for sale. All three succumbed during treatment at the Surat Municipal Institute of Medical Education and Research (SMIMER) on Saturday. A suicide note recovered from their residence cited harassment over the recovery of Rs 1 lakh by three people as the reason for their drastic step.
Based on this note, an FIR was registered at Amroli police station against the accused. The deceased were identified as Bharat Sasangiya (54), his wife Vanita (52), and their son Harsh (24). They reportedly consumed pesticide tablets used for preserving food grains in the early hours of Saturday at their apartment in Antillia Dreams.
Around 1am, Bharat informed his neighbors about their act, following which an emergency ambulance was called, and they were rushed to SMIMER. However, they were in critical condition and died soon after arrival. Following the suicide note's contents, an FIR was lodged against a man named Hitesh, his father, and one Raju based on a complaint filed by Bharat's niece, Parul.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Bharat had met Hitesh and his father in Dec while attempting to sell his apartment. He had taken Rs 1 lakh as an advance payment for the property worth Rs 22 lakh. However, when Hitesh learned about an outstanding loan on the apartment, he cancelled the deal and demanded his advance money back.
Bharat and his son Harsh, who had previously worked as diamond artisans, had quit their jobs due to insufficient work. Bharat was later employed as a watchman, while Harsh worked as a loan recovery agent for a finance firm. Struggling financially, they were unable to pay bank loan installments on their apartment for the past few months, police said.
"It appears that the financial crisis forced them to consider selling the apartment. When the buyer demanded the advance payment back and they were unable to return it, they took this extreme step," said a police officer. The Sasangiya family hailed from Kalavad in Jamnagar district.
They had purchased the apartment a few months ago before moving in..
