Couple Who Killed Themselves After Fearing COVID-19 Tests Negative For Virus

The autopsy results of a couple who hanged themselves to death due to the fear of getting infected with Covid-19, after displaying symptoms, revealed that they didn’t have the virus.

The deceased, identified as 45-year-old Ramesh Kumar Suvarna, and his wife, 40-year-old Guna Suvarna, committed suicide by hanging themselves at their home in Chitrapura near Baikampady of Mangaluru, India, on Tuesday, Aug.17.

The victims had sent a voice message to the Police Commissioner, N Shashi Kumar, and informed that they are ending their lives over the fear of COVID-19.

"We are having Covid-19 symptoms from the past few days. My wife is scared of the disease as she suffers from diabetes... I have kept Rs 1 lakh for our final rites," the couple said in the voice message, the Times of India reported.

The officer requested them not to take any hasty steps and also tried to locate the couple.

"Immediately police were sent. By the time the police reached their apartment, the couple was found dead. We could not save their lives," Shashi Kumar stated.

The responding officers retrieved a suicide note left behind by the couple, the officer said.

"As we see people losing eyes and other organs of the body because of Black Fungus infection followed by Covid-19, I fear that same thing might happen to me also as I am getting symptoms and could sense changes in my body," Guna wrote in her death note.

"My husband is also showing symptoms of Covid from the last 3 days, and in this situation, we have come to a decision that we don’t want to live any further. My father, mother, and brother have got infected with Covid and they recovered. My mother suffered a lot and I don’t want to give them any difficulty in carrying out our funeral," she said in her death note.

"As decided by myself and my husband, we request Sharan Pumpwell and Sathyajith Surathkal to conduct our last rites as per Hindu rituals. We have kept Rs 1 lac for the same. I request police commissioner N Shashi Kumar, Sharan Pumpwell, and Sathyajith Surathkal to cooperate in our last rites. The items at home should be distributed to the poor and it is of no use to our parents. We apologize to our house owners," it was stated in the death note.

The couple was also suffering from depression as Guna could not bear a child due to some unexplained health issues, police said.

Describing the incident as a tragedy, the Karnataka Health Minister Dr. K Sudhakar said "more than 28 lakh people have recovered from the disease. The couple had a lack of information. I urge people to get tested if they are detected with Covid symptoms. Free testing and treatment are made available to people. The doctors have learned lessons in the past one-and-a-half years of experience to deal with the Covid. No one should panic and until the vaccination drive is completed, Covid guidelines must be followed."