Andhra Pradesh: Man kills self after landlord forces him to pay rent

A man in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his rented room on Monday, following which an FIR was registered against his landlord for pressurising him to pay rent.

Guntur: A man in his 30s allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself at his rented room in Bongaralabeedu Vengaya Nagar in Guntur district on Monday.

According to police, the deceased man Sheikh Janabu- a resident of Guntur district of Andhra Pradesh, used to run a chinese food kiosk but it was closed due to lockdown and he was left with no source of income.

The police said a suicide note was recovered from the spot in which Janabu alleged that his landlord was harassing him for rent and also threatened to kill him, if he fails to pay rent.

In the police complaint, his wife also alleged that their landlord was forcibly demanding rent, as they were unable to pay the amount for the last three months, owing to coronavirus-induced lockdown.

Being a daily-wage earner, he was struggling to meet his daily needs and on the other hand, landlord's constant pressure was taking a toll on his mental health . Following this, on Monday, when his wife and children were not at home, he took the extreme step and hanged himself to the ceiling fan of his room.

A case has been registered against the landlord under section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code at the Arundelpet police station on Monday.

Despite government's several measures , tenants continue to face harassment from the landlords with repeated warnings.