Man booked for abetment to suicide after tableau artist’s death over ₹7 lakh loan dispute

Pilibhit: A case of abetment to suicide has been registered against a 30-year-old man following a written complaint by the sister of a 29-year-old tableau artist who died by suicide on Jan 30, police said on Monday.In her complaint, the woman alleged that the accused had borrowed Rs 7 lakh from her brother, who had arranged the amount by borrowing from fellow performers. She claimed that when the money was sought to be returned, the accused refused to repay it and continued to harass her brother. The complainant further alleged that the accused repeatedly instigated her brother to take his own life after taking the money.Police said the man was found hanging inside his house on the night of Jan 30. The complainant stated that she went to his house around 9.30 am the next day and informed the police. She also handed over her brother's mobile phone, which allegedly showed that he had spoken to the accused 23 times before taking the step.Explaining the delay in filing the complaint, she said she was in deep distress following her brother's death and was unable to approach the police immediately.Sungarhi SHO Naresh Kumar Tyagi said, "The accused has been charged under BNS sections 316(2) (criminal breach of trust) and 108 (abetment to suicide). The body was sent for postmortem examination, which confirmed hanging as the cause of death. The mobile phone has been preserved as evidence."