india

Updated: May 15, 2019 23:59 IST

It wasn’t the bank’s persistent attempts to get the family to repay a housing loan but ill-treatment and harassment by her husband and mother-in-law that drove a 42-year old woman and her daughter to suicide in Neyyattinkara, police said after arresting four relatives on the basis of a suicide note.

On Tuesday, relatives said the Canara Bank’s bid to attach their house for failing to repay a housing loan drove the duo to suicide. On Wednesday, the suicide note was recovered by the police; in it, the woman blamed her husband, mother-in-law and two other relatives for their suicide. According to it, the husband did not do anything to avert the attachment of house and insisted that the woman get money from her parents to pay off the loan. The note also mentions black magic rituals as also an attempt by her mother-in-law to poison the duo.

Mother and daughter set themselves on fire on Tuesday. Relatives said both were upset with the bank’s attempt to attach their house for failing to repay the housing loan and bank’s inhuman attitude led to their death.

After the news spread, at least two branches of Canara Bank in the city were attacked by angry protesters. Police have arrested the husband, K Chandran, his mother, Krishnamma, aunt Shanta and her husband, Kasinathan. “ It seems relatives were trying to mislead the inquiry blaming the bank. We will get a clear picture only after questioning them in detail,” said Thiruvananthapuram rural SP, P Ashok Kumar.

K Chandran, who used to work in West Asia , was not at home when the incident took place. Later, he told police that he had taken Rs 7.80 lakh loan from Canara Bank branch in Neyyttinkara 15 years ago and paid back Rs 8 lakh so far but that the bank insisted he pay Rs 6 lakh more as interest and other penalties. He said on Tuesday that his property was worth Rs 50 lakh and that he had promised the bank that he would clear all dues after selling the house. He accused the bank of not being patient.

But the bank insisted that it handled the issue as per the law and did not do anything to precipitate matters. With the latest development, the bank is in the clear and police say there is no mention of any harassment by the bank in the suicide note. “All arrived at a conclusion without checking facts. The case was going on for many years and an attachment officer was appointed by the court. We never pressurised anyone and gave them enough time,” said senior manager of Canara Bank, Jacob P Chtirakulam.