Karnataka farmer suspected to have died due to ₹10 Lakh debt amid drought: Police

A 55-year-old woman died in Vijayapura district allegedly due to mounting loans that she took for her farm amid severe drought conditions prevailing in the district, the police said on Tuesday, while suspecting it to be a case of suicide.

Police said that the woman, resident of Arjunagi village in Babaleshwar taluk, owned a land of two acres in Gadyala village of Jamkhandi taluk in Bagalkote district, allegedly had a debt of about ₹10 lakh. Her financial burden included ₹1 lakh borrowed from the Gadya Primary Agricultural Farmer’s Co-operative Society, ₹2.50 lakh from a bank, ₹50,000 from Babaleshwar Chaitanya Finance, and a private loan of ₹6 lakh.

She had allegedly taken out the loans to drill a tube well on her land last year, but despite drilling 700 feet, no water was found, police said, adding that her toor dal and Bengal gram crops had allegedly dried up.

Vijayapura district additional SP K Marihal said: “The woman killed herself on Sunday as she was unable to repay the loan and mounting interest. She came out of the house around 5am while everyone was asleep and killed herself. Upon searching, her body was found by 12pm. Prima facie, we found she owed loans worth over ₹10 lakh.”

He further said that the autopsy was conducted at Babaleshwara Taluk Government Hospital, and cremation was held on Sunday evening. “We have registered a case of unnatural death under CRC 174, and the investigation is ongoing,” he added.

The police quoted the family as stating that the debt burden was due to the severe drought experienced in the region last year, which resulted in a complete failure of crops, leaving the deceased devoid of any income or means to repay her debts.