Loan dues:teen, mother kill themselves fearing attachment of

Fearing attachment of their home due to loan defeault,a teenaged girl and her mother set themselves ablaze after pouring kerosene on themselves and died at nearby Neyyatinkara Tuesday, police said.

While the girl Vaishanavi died on the spot, her 40-year-old mother, who suffered 90 per cent burns and was taken to the Thiruvananthapuram medicalcollege hospital, died tonight, they said.

The 19-year-old girl's father, Chandran, was away when the incident took place at their home, police said.

While Chandran alleged that the bank authorities had been pressuring them to repay their dues, Canara Bank said in a releasethat they had not threatened or put any pressure on the family.

It said that an advocate commission, appointed by a local court, hadvisited Chandran's home on May 10 toattach their house and property and were informed by the family that the loan dues of Rs 6.80 lakh would be repaid on May 14.

Chandran said he had taken a Rs five lakh housing loan fromCanara Bank, Neyyatinkara, in 2005 and had already re-paid around Rs eight lakh.

"Since there was some default, aboutRs six lakh was pending and the bank had threatened to attachour property," Chandran told reporters.

He said the family had sought some time from the bank to enable them dispose their property to clear the dues.

However bank officials continuously called up his wife Tuesday, demanding that they repay the amount or face attachment of their property, he said.