Elderly farmer couple found dead in Mainpuri; debt suspected

Agra: An elderly couple from Adupur village in Barnahal area of Mainpuri district was found unconscious near Sondra village on Saturday evening, after allegedly consuming poison. They were taken to Saifai hospital, where doctors declared them dead.Police said residents of Sodara spotted Santosh Kumar, 66, and his wife Radha Devi, 60, lying in a field and immediately informed their family. Their son Dilip Kumar, 32, who serves in the Army in Jhansi, returned home upon receiving the news. Another son works in a factory in Rajasthan.SP (rural) Abhishek Tiwari, along with officials from Karhal circle and Barnahal police station, visited the site and initiated an inquiry. Police said initial information suggests that the couple may have consumed poison. “They were taken to another medical facility, where they were declared dead. The reason behind the extreme step is being investigated,”a police official said.Villagers claimed the couple had been under financial stress due to crop losses and had a dispute over it earlier, which may have led to the incident. “The couple allegedly told people they were going out to get medicine, but consumed something on the way. They were later found lying in a field between Badholpur and Sondra,” said village head of Adupur, Sushma Yadav.“My father was suffering from thyroid and my mother had high blood pressure. They were under stress after losses in their potato crop and had an outstanding bank loan of Rs 3.5 lakh. I had assured them I would repay the loan when I returned in June. I don’t understand why they took such an extreme step,” said Dilip.However, police officials denied receiving any information about debt. Barnahal SHO Aniruddh Pratap Singh confirmed that the couple had consumed poison. He added that senior officials visited the spot and no evidence of serious disputes or altercations was found. “We have not received any complaint or information indicating that the couple was in debt,” he said.(With inputs from Punit Lal)