Salem: Financial loss from the collapse of a real estate firm here drove three sisters of a family, who invested their hard-earned savings in it along with some friends, to commit suicide. After prolonged treatment, one of the sisters died on Friday, police said.
This Tragic episode may run like a variance of the Russian playwright Chekov’s play, ‘Three Sisters’. Menaka, 33, daughter of Alagesan, working in a real estate firm near the new bus stand for the last three years, had invested close to Rs.15 lakh in the firm, funds including her personal savings and of her friends and kin.
Even as Menaka hoped for better returns on their investment, the real estate firm suddenly shut, after its promoter was held on a complaint of alleged fraud. That resulted in all its assets including cash and immovable properties being attached by the authorities, depriving investors in the real estate firm of their money.
Recently, the promoter of the firm, one Mr. Sivakumar came out on bail and Menaka who by then was planning to get married asked him to return their block of investments. But he pleaded helplessness saying all the assets of the firm have been attached.
With no immediate prospect of getting back their investments, including the money Menaka had earlier saved for her wedding, police said last month she went through a bout of depression and on August 28 had attempted suicide by popping a poisonous pill. Seeing Menaka in distress, both her sisters, Revathi and Kalaimagal, also consumed the same pill and attempted suicide.
Seeing them drop down in an unconscious state, neighbours had then rushed them to a private hospital in Salem, where they were under treatment for nearly a month. The other two sisters returned home after treatment, but Menaka died on Friday, not responding to the treatment.
Her body was sent to Salem government hospital for post-mortem. Ammapettai police registered a case and are investigating.
