Puri/Kanas: An elderly couple in Puri’s Kanas area allegedly committed suicide after facing harassment from loan recovery agents for failing to repay a loan taken from a private finance firm.
The deceased couple has been identified as Banambara Behera (57) and his wife Banita Behera (52) of Anlajodi village under Kanas block in Puri district. The couple is survived by two sons.
According to sources, Banambar Behera works as a mason and he had borrowed money from a finance firm to invest in a work.
On Saturday, loan recovery agents of a private finance company came to Banambar’s house and asked him to pay the EMI or repay the entire loan amount immediately. However, Banambar expressed his inability to pay the money at that time as he was going through financial constraints.
Following this, a quarrel ensued between the elderly couple and the loan recovery agents till late at night. Later, the finance firm agents left their house with a strict warning of dire consequences if the couple fails to repay the loan.
After being allegedly harassed by the loan recovery agents and losing their mental cool, the couple took the extreme step and hanged themselves to death inside their house probably in the wee hours of Sunday, sources added.
