Couple Hangs To Death After Landlady Overcharged Them For Water Consumption

A couple in India killed themselves on Sunday night after leaving a suicide note blaming their landlady for abetting their suicide.

The deceased has been identified as 45-year-old Manoj Lodhi and his wife, 40-year-old Mamta, both natives of Gondia in Nagpur.

The couple was found hanging dead from the ceiling fan hook in their bedroom on Sunday, May 22, police said.

The investigators found a suicide note from the scene in which the couple had accused their landlady, Ishfaq Sheikh, of compelling them to pay hefty water and electricity bills, the Free Press Journal reported.

The Lodhis had been living on the first floor of the ground-plus-one structure for the last three and a half years. The landlady stayed on the ground floor.

“The deceased had stated in their suicide note that they were facing prolonged harassment from their landlady, who would allegedly mistreat them at every opportunity she got. They also wrote that she would make them pay the entire water and electricity bills for the entire house, even though she used more water and power than they did, which was making life increasingly difficult for them,” police inspector Mahendra Ambhore, Kalamna police station said.

It was also stated that the couple was upset because the landlady had spread derogatory rumors about them to their neighbors.

The couple requested the authorities to donate their bodies to a government hospital instead of handing them over to their relatives, with whom they share an unhealthy relationship.

A case of accidental death has been registered and the investigation is underway, police sources said. It is unclear if the landlady has been taken into police custody.

“We are conducting investigations to verify the allegations made by the deceased in the suicide note. Inquiries are being conducted with the Lodhi's relatives and we will also be making inquiries with the landlady. Accidental Death Reports (ADRs) have been registered for the moment and further course of action will be decided based on the results of our investigations,” Ambhore said.