Unable to repay debts, journalist kills wife, two kids, hangs himself

Siddapet, Jun 22: A debt-laden journalist in Telangana’s Siddipet district committed suicide by hanging himself after smothering his two children to death and strangulating his wife at his residence in the early hours of Thursday.

According to ACP Rajeswar, journalist S Hanumantha Rao, 35, working for a Telugu daily at Kondapaka mandal smothered to death his two children Deekhsa Sri (5) and Shine Sri (3) and later strangulated his wife Harika.

Before hanging himself, Hanumantha had called his relatives over phone and asked them to reach home. The relatives who reached the house in Siddipet found Rao hanging and the children dead. As Harika, 32, was found breathing, she was rushed to a nearby hospital where she died in the evening.

According to the police, Hanumantha who was also running a business had suffered huge loss. Unable to bear the pressure mounted by people who had extended loan to him, he decided to commit suicide, the police said.

Hanumantha left behind a suicide note in which he said that two persons — Mamatha and Prabhakar — working in his shop cheated him to the tune of Rs 7.8 lakh. He also alleged that one Kanakaiah of Siddipet, from whom he had taken the loan even threatened to kidnap his children for not repaying the loan. The bodies were shifted to Arepally village.

Irrigation Minister T Harish Rao expressed shock over the incident and extended a financial assistance of Rs. 25,000 to the family.

Cases under section 302 and 307 of the IPC and 174 of CrPC were registered by the police.

Telangana State Media Academy Chairman Allam Narayana, expressing his shock over the death of Hanumantha Rao and his family, said the incident exposed the sad plight of rural reporters and an average journalist.

Mr. Narayana said journalists were capable of understanding all issues and faced with adverse situations, they should not take such extreme decisions and handle the situation bravely.

Conveying his condolences to the members of the bereaved family, Mr. Allam Narayana said the Media Academy would extend its help and support to the family.