Man Kills Himself Over Fraudulent Bank Account Opened In His Name

A man allegedly killed himself on Wednesday, Dec. 29, after coming to know that a fraudulent bank account had been opened in his name in Khuthar town, Shahjahanpur district, Uttar Pradesh, India.

The man, identified as Ramashish Kumar, who lived with his wife, Pramila Devi, and their daughter Kajal, reportedly recently learned that a fake account had been opened under his name as early as 2015 in a private bank in India. The said account was allegedly used to commit widespread fraud upwards of US$134,342 (1 crore Indian Rupees).

After bank officials got in touch to force him to deposit money to clear his dues, Kumar reportedly took his own life by hanging a noose from the ceiling of his family home, the Tribune reported.

On Dec. 20, two men from the bank came to their residence and informed Kumar about a fraudulent bank account that had been active since 2015 in his name. They also told him that he had outstanding dues worth several thousands of dollars. Even though Kumar tried to convince the recovery agents of the bank that he had never opened the said account, he did not get any help from the personnel.

On Tuesday, Dec. 28, one of the recovery agents reportedly humiliated Kumar while he was buying groceries at the market and threatened to send him to jail for fraud. Kumar, who was left rattled by the incident, allegedly decided to take his own life on Wednesday, Dec. 29.

Devi, Kumar's wife, said that she holds the bank officials responsible for his death. She has submitted a written complaint to the Khuthar Police Station. However, a First Information Report (FIR) has yet to be registered by the police.

"We are in the process of registering an FIR under section 306 (abetment of suicide) against the bank manager and one other based on the complaint of his wife. The matter will be investigated and the guilty will be brought," Khuthar Station House Officer (SHO) Dhananjay Singh said.

In a similar but unrelated incident, an unemployed man, named Mohammed Ajaz, 38, a carpenter by profession, reportedly consumed acid and killed himself after he was left depressed over not being able to find work in Telangana, India on Nov. 5.

Ajaz was found lying unconscious on a road in Telangana on Nov. 4 evening. Locals discovered Ajaz unresponsive and immediately contacted the authorities while rushing him to the nearest hospital for treatment. At the facility, however, he succumbed to his complications and died on Nov. 5, Latin Times reported.

During the police investigation, officers discovered that the victim may have been suffering from depression as he was facing financial troubles due to his unemployment.

Ajaz's brother, Mohammed Akbar Shareef, has reportedly registered a complaint at Narsingi Police Station, spurring officers to conduct further investigation into the tragic incident.