Family of four commits suicide; one survives

HYDERABAD: Financial woes drove a goldsmith’s family to commit suicide by consuming cyanide at their residence at Indira Nagar, Kushaiguda, on Saturday morning. Three of the four members who consumed the poison died, while their eldest son survived.
Kushaiguda inspector N Venkata Ramana said Eshwara Chary (50), a goldsmith, his wife Parvathi (45), and their younger son Naga Babu (23) died, while their eldest son Prasad survived.
Around 8am, the family members had tea together and subsequently they consumed cyanide by mixing it in the water, according to police.
Prasad’s wife Lakshmi Tulasi, saw her family members struggling after consuming the liquid and alerted their neighbour Sammakka, who in turn called police.
All the four were shifted to hospital, where Eshwara Chary, Parvathi and Naga Babu were declared brought dead, while Prasad, after a stomach wash, was said to be stable. Police said even Lakshmi Tulasi and her nine-month-old boy were under observation.
“Tulasi claimed that when the incident took place, she was in the hall while the others were in another room, where they committed suicide. It was the domestic help who first saw the family members and alerted Tulasi. However, their relatives suspect that the daughter-in-law and the toddler too may have consumed the poison. The two are perfectly fine and they are under observation,’’ sub-inspector Anil said.
“On Friday night, they decided to consume cyanide, but restrained themselves. However, on Saturday morning, they took the extreme step,'' police said.
When police spoke to the family members, they came to know that the family has debts to the tune of Rs 20 lakhs and due to harassment of creditors they resorted to the extreme step.