Earlier this year, the trader had taken a loan of Rs 5 lakh from fellow traders at the market, but was unable to repay
Photo for representational purpose
A debt-ridden rice trader died by suicide in front of a train at Ghansoli station in Navi Mumbai minutes after his creditors attacked him on Monday.
As per a report in The Indian Express, the deceased, Kanhaiyalal Gajra (41), was a trader of rice at the Agricultural Produce Marketing Committee (APMC) in Vashi. He lived in Kopar Khairane with his family. Earlier this year, Gajra had taken a loan of Rs 5 lakh from fellow traders at the market, but was unable to repay.
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“The creditors had asked him to return the money many times but the deceased kept asking for more time,” said Inspector Vishnu Kesarkar of Vashi railway police station. Gajra’s inability to pay back the loan had led to frequent arguments with the fellow traders.
The police said that on Monday evening, one of those arguments turned ugly. “In the heat of the moment, the deceased told the creditors that he would not pay them back and that they could do whatever they liked,” said Kesarkar.
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The creditors then allegedly assaulted Gajra and demanded that he pay them back immediately. “Gajra feared that the men would kill him and ran away from the market. He went straight to Ghansoli railway station and decided to end his life. Between 7 pm and 7.15 pm, he stood in front of an oncoming train and was run over,” said Kesarkar.
Gajra’s family began looking for him when he did not return home that night. By then, the motorman of the train had alerted the railway police. As his cellphone was found intact despite the crash, police were able to contact his family.
On Tuesday, Gajra’s younger brother Dharmendra registered a complaint of abetting suicide, assault and criminal intimidation against the five traders who allegedly assaulted him. “We have begun an investigation and will question the traders named in the complaint,” said Kesarkar.
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