 "Elderly Ludhiana couple dies by suicide after alleged harassment over EMIs")
An elderly couple in Ludhiana died by suicide after allegedly facing repeated harassment and humiliation from bank officials, despite having repaid more than 55 instalments on their loan. The couple — Jasbir Singh (59) and his wife Kuldeep Kaur (58) — consumed poison inside their hosiery store, leaving behind a suicide video and note naming specific officials from IDFC FIRST Bank, The Indian Express reported on Saturday.
Local police have registered an FIR for abetment to suicide against the bank’s branch manager and two unidentified employees based on the video and statements from the couple’s son.
According to the police, the couple ran a hosiery and garments business under the name Panchratan Fashion in Gandhi Market Colony. On Wednesday, they consumed sulphas tablets inside their shop. Before taking the step, they recorded a video message detailing their ordeal, the report said.
In the video, Singh, an Amritdhari Sikh, is heard saying, “With immense grief in our hearts, we are leaving this world today... The officials from IDFC FIRST Bank and some other banks have humiliated me to such an extent that I have no other option… They did not even honour my white beard... I have already repaid 55 instalments of my loan and even then I was humiliated so much that it became unbearable. We are consuming sulphas tablets to end our lives.”
He further said, “My family is very nice, they respect me a lot. I know my son, daughter and grandchildren will be saddened but it is our compulsion now to take this step.”
Son alleges over 200 harassment calls, threats by agents
The couple’s son, Gagandeep Singh, told the police that they had availed a loan of approximately ₹2.35 crore–₹2.38 crore against property from a private bank to support their business. While they had repaid 55 EMIs — totalling over ₹1 crore — a delay in the current month’s payment allegedly triggered relentless harassment.
He claimed the bank’s recovery team made over 200 calls daily and even visited their shop and residence in Harbanspura. “They misbehaved with my parents and even threatened me when I intervened,” he said. On Thursday morning, Gagandeep found his parents unconscious and rushed them to DMC Hospital, where they were declared dead.
Suicide note details threats, abusive behaviour
Police confirmed that a handwritten suicide note was recovered from the scene. The note corroborates the contents of the video, citing mental harassment and threats from bank officials. It also warned that their home was at risk of being taken over.
SHO Gagandeep Singh from Division No. 4 police station said the bodies have been sent for post-mortem and an investigation is underway. Additional DCP-1 Sameer Verma confirmed that an FIR had been lodged against Naresh Sharma, branch manager of IDFC FIRST Bank at Feroze Gandhi Market, and two unidentified employees.
The case has been registered under sections 108 (abetment to suicide), 351(2) (criminal intimidation) and 3(5) (criminal conspiracy) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), the Indian Express report said.