In Gorakhpur, a vegetable seller committed suicide after killing his wife and two innocent children by slitting their throats. Police recovered a blood-stained vegetable knife from the spot. In the initial investigation, the cause of the incident is being told as domestic dispute. It is being told that the increasing debt burden due to gambling addiction and the terror of usurers first made Indra Bahadur of Devkali village the murderer of his wife and children and then forced him to commit suicide.
Indra Bahadur Maurya (42) of Devkali village of Gola police station area used to run his family by setting up a vegetable shop in the village itself. His house is in the farm outside the village. Seeing smoke rising from his house on Sunday morning, a person in the village raised an alarm. When the people around broke the door and looked inside, the dead bodies of Indra Bahadur’s wife Sushila Devi (38), daughter Chandni (10) and son Aryan (8) were lying in a room. Indra Bahadur himself was burning badly in the fire. There were injury marks on the bodies of the wife and children at many places. It appeared from the sight that after slitting his throat in his sleep, Indra Bahadur poured kerosene on himself and set himself on fire. People poured water on him to extinguish the fire. However, he died before being taken to the hospital.
According to the villagers, he used to have frequent disputes with his wife over taking a loan and gambling. There had been a dispute a week earlier as well, when Indra Bahadur had vowed that he would not gamble. Even after this, he did not desist from his antics.
The police and forensic team reached the information and started the investigation. Many police and administrative officials including DIG J Ravindra Gaur, DM Krishna Karunesh, SSP Dr. Gaurav Grover, SP South Arun Kumar Singh also reached the spot and inquired about the incident.
Son used to study in one, daughter in fourth grade
Indra Bahadur was the younger of two brothers. He lived in the village with his wife and two children. The daughter was a Class IV student, while son Aryan studied in Class I. Indra Bahadur’s elder brother Jai Bahadur had left home with his family three years ago and went somewhere. Whereas, mother Subhavati Devi was sent to her daughter’s place six months back. Mother is coming to the village after getting the news of death. However, the brother’s whereabouts are still unknown.
Everyone was shocked to see the terrible scene of death
Indra Bahadur Maurya’s house is built in a field outside the village. Behind his house there are one or two houses at some distance while on the other side there are houses 300 to 500 meters away. This is the reason why no one got any kind of sound or sound in the night. Ramashray Maurya of the village was working in the field in the morning. He was the first to see the smoke coming out of Indra Bahadur’s house and raised his voice, but when there was no response, he called some youths of the village and went inside, everyone was shocked to see the horrific scene of death.
Indrabahadur was alive till eight o’clock in the morning even after being scorched
When the people of the village entered the house of Indra Bahadur around 8 in the morning, he was still alive despite being badly burnt. Looking at the scene, it is being speculated that Indrabahadur had taken the life of his wife and children in the middle of the night and till morning he was perplexed as to how he would come in front of the society as a murderer of his wife and innocent children, as well as from the terror of usurers. How to escape Finding no way out, he threw himself into the fire.
Gambling is rampant in the village but the police were unaware of it. Even the beat constable or the sub-inspector was not aware of this. On the other hand, every peace-loving person in the village is troubled by the gambling dens. Indra Bahadur’s wife Sushila was also going through the same trouble. The husband was not only losing everything in gambling but his debts were also increasing. Sushila could not tolerate the usurers harassing her for money. There used to be a fight in the family regarding this.
In the dispute a week ago, Indra Bahadur even broke the TV of the house. According to the villagers, Indra Bahadur vowed to give up gambling after a dispute between husband and wife over gambling and debt a week ago. Sushila’s brother Vinod, who reached Devkali from Maharajganj after getting information about the incident, has told the police that his brother-in-law Indra Bahadur was addicted to alcohol and gambling. He used to gamble by selling land, farm and household items. If Sushila protested, there would have been a dispute. His addiction did not go away and the whole family came to an end.
Wife was stabbed four times and children were stabbed twice
Indra Bahadur had stabbed his wife Sushila at four places and the children at two places. He had stabbed his wife Sushila in the neck, abdomen and right hand and hip of the right leg at a total of four places, while daughter Chandni (10) and son Aryan (8) were stabbed in the neck and stomach. Indra Bahadur’s body was burnt from head to knee. A team of two doctors conducted the post-mortem with video recording. Sushila’s brother Vinod has accused her brother-in-law of killing her sister and children. The police have started investigation by registering a case of murder against the deceased Indra Bahadur.
Troubled by usurers, elder brother has left the village
Indra Bahadur’s elder brother Jaibahadur was also addicted to gambling. Due to his addiction to gambling, he was in so much debt that he sold his 10 decimal land and ran away from the village with his family three years ago. The terror of usurers was such that even after his father died a year and a half ago, he did not come to the village. Still no one knows anything about Jai Bahadur.
SSP Dr. Gaurav Grover told that after the murder of wife and children, the matter of suicide by the vegetable seller is coming to the fore. Forensic and surveillance teams have been deployed. Debt pressure and gambling are also being probed.
Father and daughters committed suicide in Shahpur
Fed up with life, father and two minor daughters committed suicide on 13 November 2022 in Shahpur. The bodies of the daughters were hanging from the ceiling fan by a dupatta, while the father was hanging from the ceiling fan in another room. Suicide was also confirmed in the postmortem report. No injury marks were found on the bodies of the deceased. In this case too, financial constraints were the reason.
Couple committed suicide in jungle Dhusad
Husband and wife committed suicide on 9 December 2022 in Dhusad forest of Pipraich police station area. The dead body of the wife and husband was found outside in the room. There was a distance of 100 meters between the two bodies. The landlord had informed the police about the matter. Police also found a suicide note from the room.
Moneylenders don’t let there be shortage of money in gambling
Where gambling is done, usurers keep sitting with money. If someone is losing or someone wants to gamble, then they give money immediately on the interest they want. If he wins, then recovery is done immediately and if he loses, he compensates by selling land, property, ornaments of the house etc. Many people have lost everything in Devkali.
Police was unaware or recovery is going on here also
The police was unaware of the gambling going on on such a large scale or had set up in this business. Its investigation has also started. Beat constable and Halka Daroga have to keep an eye on the activities of every village, but no one was aware of the gambling business here and the generations being ruined and the people migrating. Due to gambling and usury going on in the village, dozens of people have migrated. Some have left the village to escape from the debtors while some have gone out to get rid of this addiction of gambling. Most of the people of this village are trapped in the bad addiction of gambling and are entangled in the web of gambling.
Chasing left after complaint in public darshan
Saint Kumar Maurya of Devkali village was also troubled by the pressure of usurers three years ago. He complained about this in the Chief Minister’s public court in Gorakhnath temple, after which he was freed from the moneylenders.
Mother-son committed suicide in Gorakhnath
On 13 November 2022, a mother living in Humayunpur of the city committed suicide along with her younger son. Here also the reason given was usury. It was learned that the moneylenders were troubling them to return the loan amount, due to which the mother-son lost their lives. Mother and son had consumed poison. His dead body was found in the house itself.
businessman committed suicide with family
In the year 2019, Ramesh Gupta, a debt-ridden businessman living in Rakabganj of Rajghat area, committed suicide along with his family. Ramesh Gupta had also killed himself after being cut off from a train by poisoning his wife, one son and two daughters. Earlier, Ramesh had a salty factory in Gida which was closed due to debt. Later, Ramesh started the business of oil and pulses.
Seeing the smoke, he broke the door and reached inside and was stunned.
Ramashray Maurya, a resident of Devkali, told that ‘I was working in the field, while seeing the smoke rising from Indra Bahadur’s house, reached his house and called Raghveer Gaur, Pradumman Maurya and Ajit Maurya, when there was no response. When all of us together broke the door, the inside view was completely different. The dead bodies of Indra Bahadur’s wife and both the children were lying on the cot in the room. Indra Bahadur was badly burnt but was alive. The fire was extinguished by pouring water but in the meantime he died.