Covid fear drives 24-year-old dhaba owner to suicide in Burail

CHANDIGARH: A 24-year-old dhaba owner suffering from fever and sore throat allegedly committed suicide over fears of contracting novel coronavirus at his eatery in Burail, Sector 45, and a 17-year-old boy allegedly hanged himself from a ceiling fan at his house in Khuda Alir Sher village on Tuesday. No suicide notes were recovered in the two incidents, police said.
The victims were Raju, a resident of EWS flats, Dhanas, and Junaid of Khuda Ali Sher.
Police said Raju had called up his sister in Dhanas saying he had fever and a sore throat on Monday night. The next morning, when his sister called him up to inquire about his health, Raju did not answer her call.
She said Raju was worried that he might test positive for Covid-19. She sent one Gurpreet of Dhanas to check on him, who found Raju hanging with the help of a cloth from an iron grille in his dhaba around 9.30 am. Raju was running the eatery after the death of his father for the last couple of years. He was unmarried. Police initiated inquest proceedings under Section 174 of CrPC.
In the second case, Junaid, working as a barber with his maternal uncle at Khuda Ali Sher, allegedly committed suicide at his house. Police said Junaid was not answering the phone calls of his uncle Mehtab for last three days. Mehtab reached his home and found him hanging with a ceiling fan around 11 am. Police ruled out any foul play. Junaid was alone in the house. His family was at their native place in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh.