Howrah jeweller hangs himself days after wife’s suicide, cites financial distress in note

A jeweller in Howrah’s Uluberia, identified as 64-year-old Subrata Das, died by suicide on Monday morning, five days after the death of his wife. His body was found hanging from the roof of his residence in Khalisani Malpara. A handwritten suicide note was recovered from his shirt pocket, where he cited financial distress as the reason behind his action.

Subrata owned a jewellery store and was also engaged in informal money-lending. According to police sources, he had taken deposits from several individuals in the locality, allegedly offering interest rates higher than those of banks. After his death, locals gathered outside his shop, alleging that he had taken amounts ranging from ₹50,000 to ₹1 lakh from each of them.

Some of the depositors demanded the return of their money, claiming that they were lured by promises of high returns. Protests broke out outside the shop following news of the suicide. Subrata’s death has left these investors uncertain about the recovery of their funds. Police are now compiling a list of potential investors based on diaries found at the scene.

Officials recovered multiple notebooks and diaries from Subrata’s residence and shop that documented financial transactions. These documents are currently under examination. A case of unnatural death has been registered, and statements are being recorded from family members and locals.

Subrata’s son, Subhashish Das, who runs a medicine shop, stated that he came to know about his father's business troubles only two days before the incident. He said, “We knew there were some issues, but didn’t realise it was this serious. Recently, he had even started buying lottery tickets.”

Rajapur Police have sent the body to Uluberia Sarat Chandra Medical College and Hospital for post-mortem examination. Investigators are now verifying the financial links, potential liabilities, and reasons behind both deaths. Further legal action will be taken based on the findings from financial records and the post-mortem report.