Debt-ridden textile trader ends life, alleges threats

Surat: A 52-year-old textile trader in Godadara died by suicide by consuming poison at his house, allegedly due to rising debt.
The police found a suicide note at the victim Rajendra Chauhan’s house in which he stated that he was “dying to save his reputation after getting the threat calls for loan recovery.”
According to case details, Chauhan suffered losses due to textile goods being returned by the buyers over the last few months.He took a loan from IIFL Finance. However, as he couldn’t pay monthly installments, he started getting phones from the company’s recovery agents.
“I told them that I made losses and would pay their loan by selling my house. However, threat calls continued following which I had to die by suicide to save my reputation,” the note states.
Chauhan also alleged that he did not want a loan at a high interest rate but a person named Kalpesh Soni processed the amount without his consent. When the loan amount was disbursed, Chauhan told Soni to return the loan but the latter stopped taking his calls.
Chauhan also alleged that when he asked Soni to tell him the exact amount to be paid to the loan company, he gave him two bank statements. “I never missed paying any bank installment in my life. But I had to miss due to business losses,” the note stated.
Godadara police have registered a complaint against unknown people for abetment of suicide under BNS 108.