BAREILLY: A local trader, his wife, 39, and two children – aged six and 11 – were found hanging inside their house in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur on Monday.
The 42-year-old man had suffered recent financial losses and was repeatedly harassed by a money lender, police said.
Akhilesh Gupta, a wholesale supplier of medicines, used the same rope to hang himself, his wife and kids, the cops said, adding that a suicide note was found in the room.
Shahjahanpur SSP S Anand, circle officer Praveen Yadav and a team of forensic experts visited the house to start a probe.
A money lender has been blamed in the suicide note, the police said.
An FIR has been registered against the man at Kotwali police station.
Gupta was a resident of Faridpur area of Bareilly district and had settled in Shahjahanpur to expand his business.
He moved into his own house from a rented one and was settling down when he met Avinash Vajpai, the money lender.
According to Gupta’s father, his son was “disturbed for a few days and on Monday, he along with his wife Reshu, son Shivang and daughter Abhijeeta, was found hanging inside their room”.
Vajpai, who lives in the Kaanth area of the district, had lent a high interest loan and was harassing Gupta all the time, he alleged.
Early on Monday, neighbours saw Reshu for the last time when she opened the door for the milkman.
Then till 1.15pm, the main door remained shut and the neighbours began to worry.
When a neighbour managed to unlock one of the doors and enter the house, he found all four of them hanging from a rope.
Police said the couple may have consumed poison before hanging.
When contacted, Shahjahanpur SSP told TOI, “This is a tragic incident.
We have sent the bodies for autopsy.
A note left behind suggests that the family was being regularly harassed by a money lender.
An FIR has been registered against him on the complaint of Dr Ashok Gupta, the trader’s father.
We will arrest the man soon.”