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.
(This news piece may be triggering. If you or someone you know needs help, call any of these helplines: Aasra (Mumbai) 022-27546669, Sneha (Chennai) 044-24640050, Sumaitri (Delhi) 011-23389090, Cooj (Goa) 0832- 2252525, Jeevan (Jamshedpur) 065-76453841, Pratheeksha (Kochi) 048-42448830, Maithri (Kochi) 0484-2540530, Roshni (Hyderabad) 040-66202000, Lifeline 033-64643267 (Kolkata).)