In a sad turn of events, an 82-year-old man and his 79-year-old wife died by suicide in a Karnataka village after losing a huge sum of money in cyber fraud and facing alleged harassment, police said on Friday.
Diogjeron Santan Nazareth and his wife Flaviana were residents of Beedi village in Khanapur taluk of Belagavi district. According to police, the couple lost over ₹50 lakh in the cyber fraud. The couple had no children, they added.
The incident came to light on Thursday when neighbours saw a lifeless Flaviana lying on the bed. On the other hand, Diogjeron’s body was discovered in the underground water tank of their house, police said.
Karnataka couple dies by suicide, leaves note
A two-page handwritten death note left behind by Diogjeron stated their decision to end their lives and requested that no one be blamed, as they did not want to live at the mercy of anyone, police said.
Diogjeron, a retired Maharashtra government secretariat employee, died by stabbing himself in the neck. Injuries were also found on his wrist, police said.
Flaviana is suspected to have consumed poison, though confirmation awaits the autopsy report, they added.
₹50 lakh fraud and two suicides: What did scammers do?
Diogjeron named two persons in his suicide note – Sumit Birra and Anil Yadav. The death note reveals that Birra claimed to be a telecom department official from New Delhi. He informed the unsuspecting teacher that a SIM card had been fraudulently purchased in his name and was being used for harassment and illegal advertisements.
Later, Birra transferred the call to Anil Yadav, who said he was a Crime Branch official. Posing as a government official, Yadav demanded details of Diogjeron's property and finances.
He also threatened the 82-year-old with legal consequences over the alleged SIM card misuse, according to the death note.
Diogjeron fell prey to this and transferred ₹50 lakh lakh to the accused, but they continued to demand more, police added, citing digital transaction records.
He also mentioned taking a gold loan of ₹7.15 lakh, with interest due on June 4.
“The amount should be paid, and the gold should be sold. The amount received after adjusting the principal and interest should be paid to the named persons,” as per the note quoted by PTI.
Diogjeron further stated that he had borrowed money from friends and requested that the loans be repaid by selling his wife's gold bangles and earrings.
"Now I am 82 years old, and my wife is 79. We have no one to support us. We do not want to live at the mercy of anyone, so we have taken this decision," the note said.
He also expressed a wish for their bodies to be donated to a medical institution for students to study.
Police register case
Police have taken his mobile phone, the knife, and the suicide note into custody as part of the investigation.
“Based on the death note and preliminary inquiry, we have registered a case of abetment to suicide and cyber fraud against the two accused named in the note. Further investigation is underway,” said Belagavi Superintendent of Police Bhimashankar Guled.
