Constable transfers Rs 9 lakh to fiancée’s account, shoots self

Bhubaneswar: A week after his engagement, a 27-year-old constable in Nayagarh district allegedly shot himself using his service pistol early on Thursday. Before taking his own life, he transferred Rs 9 lakh to his fiancée’s account, police said.

The deceased was identified as Sunil Sethi. He joined Odisha police as an Armed Police Reserve (APR) constable in 2023. Police officers said Sethi had been under severe stress as his family opposed his marriage.


Police said Sethi had recently taken a Rs 9 lakh bank loan to fund his wedding, scheduled for next month. “Before ending his life, he sent several emotional messages to his fiancée and transferred the loan amount to her account,” Nayagarh SP, S Susree, said.

Police sources said Sethi wanted to marry the sister of his elder brother’s wife, but his family disapproved of their relationship. Despite opposition, he went ahead with his engagement last week, which his family boycotted.

Tensions escalated further when Sethi revealed to his family that he had borrowed money for the wedding. Upset, they reportedly asked him to leave the house, prompting him to search for rented accommodation in Nayagarh.

Police said they learned about these circumstances from his social media chats and phone messages. Around 1 am on Thursday, Sethi called his fiancée and hinted at taking the extreme step. He later sent her messages stating his intention to end his life.

The fiancée read the messages only around 8 am and also discovered that Rs 9 lakh had been credited to her account. In one of her replies, she warned she might harm herself if Sethi carried out his threat. By then, Sethi’s body had been found on the terrace of the police reserve line barrack in a pool of blood.

“We suspect he pulled the trigger hours after sending the messages to his fiancée,” a police officer said.