An elderly man died by suicide after a cooperative bank allegedly declined to return his deposit in Kerala. Thiruvananthapuram police stated on Thursday that they have commenced inquest proceedings under Section 174 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).
According to the police, Somasagaram, a resident of Maruthathoor, passed away at a hospital in the city on Wednesday. He had been hospitalised since April 19 after ingesting poison.
The FIR said, the Perumpazhuthoor Cooperative Bank authorities declined to refund his deposit of Rs 5 lakh despite numerous appeals. It indicated that he was distressed as he needed funds for his daughter's wedding expenses and ingested poison on April 19. He died without responding to treatment on Wednesday night.
Talking to the media, his 86-year-old father said that his son had deposited some hard-earned money in the bank, according to a report on PTI.
"He has been asking the bank for the past six months to return the deposit, but they refused. Finally, they started threatening him. He took the extreme step because of the bank's attitude," his father said.
Meanwhile, the bank authorities informed the media that due to a financial crunch, they were unable to fulfill customers' requests for deposit refunds promptly. They cited a delay in loan recovery as the primary reason. However, they asserted that they had refunded the money to certain customers who persisted in their demands.
Furthermore, they mentioned that following his suicide attempt, the bank had agreed to return the deposit by June 30.
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(If anyone faces mental health issues or knows anyone having suicidal feelings, they can seek emotional support with helpline numbers from suicide prevention organizations in the state.
Tamil Nadu: The State Health Department's Suicide Helpline is 104.
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre: 044 24640050)