Kollam: A college student committed suicide at Sooranad here on Tuesday after the Kerala Bank planted a board indicating attachment of property for defaulting on loan in front of her house.
Abhirami (20) took her own life after the bank officials installed the notice board on her house premises. She was found hanging inside the house at 4.30 on Tuesday evening.
Abhirami was the only daughter of Aji Kumar and Shalini of Aji Bhavanam, Thrikkunnappuzha North in Shooranad.
When the bank officials came to erect the board with the property attachment notice, Abhirami's grandparents were home and her parents had gone to the Aji Kumar and Shalini had gone to the bank to request for more time to settle the loan.
Aji Kumar, who had been working abroad, had availed a loan of Rs 10 lakh from the Patharam Branch of Kerala Bank five years ago. They had defaulted on repayment and the bank had commenced revenue recovery proceedings.
Though the repayment was being done regularly initially, Aji Kumar lost his job owing to the COVID-19 crisis and had to return to Kerala. With this, the family plunged into a financial crisis.
Further, Aji Kumar’s father fell ill and became bedridden after which the loan repayment stalled. However, Rs 1.5 lakh was repaid last March. When the Bank had called up demanding to pay the dues, Aji Kumar had sought some time for the same.
However, the bank authorities reached with police protection on Tuesday morning and installed the attachment board stating that the property is under the bank’s custody. Though the neighbours and local residents requested the authorities not to install the bank attachment board and shame the family, they did not pay heed to it.
Abhirami committed suicide distressed over the notice on the bank attachment of her house.
Neighbours reached and took Abhirami to the Taluk Hospital, but she could not be saved. The body was shifted to the Taluk Hospital Mortuary.
A case has been charged for unnatural death and her mortal remains would be handed over to the family today after a post-mortem, police said.
Abhirami, who had scored A-plus in all subjects for her SSLC exams, was a bright student. She used to stay at the college hostel and had reached home only a day before. She had told her parents that she was mentally distressed seeing the bank attachment board in front of her house, relatives said.
Meanwhile, the bank authorities maintained that the notice was installed in the houses as the first stage of action as the repayment failed. Other allegations are baseless, the bank officials said.
(Suicide is not the solution to any problem. Seek the assistance of a mental health specialist, if needed. Try to overcome the problem. Helpline numbers - 1056, 0471- 2552056.)