BELAGAVI
In a shocking incident, an elderly couple from Goa, who had settled in the Upper Ghat, ended their lives in Bidi, Khanapur taluka, on Thursday evening.
Their suicide note mentioned that some people from Goa had been pressuring them to sell their assets to repay borrowed money.
The bodies of Dorgjeron alias Diego Santan Nazareth (82) and his wife, Flaviana Diago Nazareth (79), residents of Christian Galli, Bidi, were discovered by neighbours around 8 pm on Thursday.
Flaviana was found lifeless inside their home, while Diego was found dead in a pool of blood inside an underground water tank outside the house.
Neighbours immediately alerted the Nandgad police, after which the Nandgad CPI and a police team visited the scene and shifted the bodies to the Government Hospital, Khanapur.
A suicide note written in English was recovered from the location. In it, Diego stated that he had been threatened by a person claiming to be a senior telecom official from Delhi. The alleged fraudster told him he was being “digitally arrested” for misusing his SIM card.
Diego also mentioned that he had taken a gold loan and another loan from people in Goa and Mumbai. He stated that these should be repaid by selling the gold and other properties.
Authorities have registered a case of abetment to suicide at the Nandgad Police Station. Police have taken the mobile phone, a sickle, and the suicide note into custody. Investigations are underway to uncover more details about the case.
Diego was a retired government servant from the Mantralaya (secretariat), Government of Maharashtra.
Expressing his deep concern and grief, Belagavi SP Dr Bheemashankar Guled urged citizens to contact the police immediately if they receive suspicious calls.
“It is unfortunate and shocking that Diego was educated and socially active, yet the couple did not inform their neighbours or the police before taking this step,” Dr Guled said.
“Diego was well-educated and had coached many students for competitive and other exams. Several of his students have become engineers, doctors, and officers,” said the SP, adding that the police would take all necessary steps to book the culprits and help settle the loans and other matters as per the suicide note.
“Every angle is being investigated, as the mobile phone, suicide note, and a chopper reportedly used by Diego are in police custody,” Dr Guled added.
In his suicide note, Diego requested that their bodies be donated to medical colleges for study.
However, BIMS did not accept the bodies due to technical reasons, so they were buried in a cemetery in Bidi.
