Schoolteacher ends life in Telangana after argument with wife amid financial woes

HYDERABAD: A combination of financial woes induced by the lockdown and family issues forced a 31-year-old schoolteacher to end his life. V Ravi Kumar was found hanging at his home in Nagarjuna Sagar in Nalgonda district on Monday. Police suspect that in addition to the financial woes, he was upset that his wife Anjali left home after an argument.

K Narsimha Rao, sub-inspector, Nagarjuna Sagar, said Ravi Kumar had hanged himself in the wee hours of Tuesday. A case has been registered for further probe.

According to police, Ravi Kumar was a resident of Hills Colony, along with his wife and two children. He was working at a private school in Peddavoora town, around 23 kms from Nagarjuna Sagar. Police said he taught at the school and took private tuitions at home.

During the lockdown, his job was affected and income came down. Since then, the family has been suffering from a financial crisis. He was expecting that things would be normal once schools reopened, but due to the second wave, when the schools were shut again, he was very upset.

Meanwhile, on Sunday, his wife Anjali had an argument with him. She asked him to buy a gold chain, but he asked her to wait for a few more days due to the financial crisis. The argument continued till late in the night. Meanwhile, on Monday noon, she left home along with the two children, without informing Ravi Kumar.

After some time, when she did not return home, he inquired for her and found that she had dropped the children at his parents’ house and left saying that she is going to pray at a nearby church.

They searched for her, but in vain. Later, at night, Ravi Kumar lodged a missing complaint at Nagarjuna Sagar police station. During the investigation, police analysed the CCTV cameras and found her walking towards the bus station.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday morning, he woke and informed his parents that he is going to pray and went to his home. When he did not come out, they went in search of him and found him hanging from the ceiling fan.

The body was handed over to the family after a postmortem examination, while a search is on to trace Anjali, said police.

(If you are having suicidal thoughts, or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences' helpline - 02225521111, which is available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm.)