Debt-ridden couple die by suicide in Annamayya district

Tirupati: A 32-year-old man and his 25-year-old wife ended their lives at Settivari Palli in Galiveedu mandal in Annamayya district on Sunday. According to Galiveedu sub-inspector Narasimha Reddy, the deceased were identified as Mallikharjuna and M Rani. Police investigation revealed that Mallikharjuna had debts close to Rs 60 lakh and suffered huge losses in various forms of betting activities. As moneylenders mounted pressure on him to repay his loans, Mallikharjuna and his wife Rani consumed pesticides and ended their lives. The couple is survived by two daughters— one four-year-old and the other 6-month-old. Galiveedu SI Narasimha Reddy and his team rushed to Mallikharjuna's house after learning about the couple's suicide. They inspected the house and later shifted the bodies of the deceased for postmortem and registered a case.