Financial Woes Amid Lockdown Drive 36-year-old Shopkeeper to Suicide in Himachal's Kullu

Worried over the repayment of his debt and a fall in earnings due to coronavirus crisis, a 36-year-old shopkeeper allegedly died by suicide in Himachal Pradesh's Kullu district, police said on Thursday.

Hitesh Sharma originally belonged to Mandi's Bharwari and was running a cloth shop in Kullu's Bhuntar, SP Gaurav Singh said.

Sharma hanged himself from a ceiling fan at his rented accommodation in Bhuntar on Wednesday night, he added.

He had taken loans from a bank and a person, the SP said, adding that Sharma was under stress as he shop remained closed due to the coronavirus crisis.

He is survived by his nine-year-old son and six-year-old daughter, the SP said. The body was handed over to the deceased's brother after autopsy at the Kullu Regional Hospital.

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