PALAKKAD: A farmer committed suicide after three money lenders allegedly threatened to take away his land after he failed to repay the loan he had taken them. The Hemambika Nagar police have registered a case against three money lenders.
Velukutty (66), a farmer from Vallikkode, jumped in front of a running train and died after the money lenders allegedly harassed him. The trio reached his house a day before he committed suicide, the deceased farmer's relatives said.
Police said that this is the second such suicide case in the district within a month where the farmers allegedly take the extreme as they are unable to pay back the debt.
Vishnu, son of Velukutty, said that a loan of Rs 3 lakh was taken from the private financiers (blade companies) for the marriage of his daughter in 2016.
Velukutty repaid Rs 10 lakh. But the bank cheque books he had given to the financers were used to threaten him to pay another Rs 20 lakh.
Six months ago, the financers took away the documents of 35 cents of his land and asked to register the land in their name.
The day before he committed suicide, the financers came to their house and threatened Velukutty of dire consequences, Vishnu said.
Vijayakumari, the wife of the deceased farmer, in a complaint to the district superintendent of police demanded action against the three financiers who allegedly forced her husband to commit suicide.
The Hemambika Nagar SHO A C Vipin said that the police raided the houses of the three financers Kuruppathu Devadasan and Prakshan of Chandranagar and Sudhakaran, a native of Valiparambu and seized some documents in connection with the cases. A case has been registered against them, he said.
