TN lovers mistrust parents’ promise of lockdown-end marriage, commit suicide

DHARMAPURI: A man and his girlfriend committed suicide by consuming pesticide near Harur in Dharmapuri district of Tamil Nadu on Monday evening.
The deceased have been identified as R Anandha Raj, 22, of Anna Nagar in Harur and his girlfriend, S Shobika, 21, from the same area. Anandha was a painter and Shobika had just finished her graduation.
On Tuesday morning, the Harur police received information about two bodies lying in the reserve forest in Thandakuppam area. Officials retrieved the bodies.
Preliminary inquiries revealed that both were relatives and had been in love with each other for more than four years. An official at the Harur police station said, “Their parents got to know about their relationship and agreed to get them married when the lockdown ends.”
However, the couple did not believe in their parents’ words. Both Anandha and Shobika argued with their parents to perform their wedding at the earliest. Assuming their parents would not solemnise the marriage, the duo committed suicide, the official said.
The police registered a case and initiated an inquiry. The bodies were sent to a government hospital for postmortem.