Market losses drive businessman to suicide

New Delhi: A city-based businessman, who allegedly lost Rs 30 lakh in stock markets, Tuesday hanged himself to death in his west Delhi home.

The incident came close on the heels of the arrests of two management students for kidnapping a teenaged boy to make up for their market losses.

Anshumal Mishra, 42, hanged himself from the ceiling fan in his Rajender Nagar house. He was running Educare Coaching Centre in Karol Bagh area.

Mishra is survived by his wife Madhumati, a teenaged son and a three-year-old daughter.

According to police sources, his wife reportedly told the police that he had drinks with his friends till late Monday and after that he went to sleep in another room.

When Mishra didn't wake up in the morning, she went to check on him and found his body hanging from the ceiling fan, the police said. No suicide note was recovered from him.

The police said they had registered a case and were investigating the reasons behind the death.

Though the family refused to say why he took the extreme step, his acquaintances said Mishra had lost heavily in the financial market.

"We don't rule out losses in the share market as the reason behind his death. The matter is being probed from all angles. The body has been sent for a post-mortem examination," said a police officer.

One of Mishra's colleagues, who declined to be identified, said: “There is a buzz that he had lost Rs.3-4 million in the share market. It could be the reason for his extreme step.”

Rahul Arora, another colleague, said: “He was financially in a quite sound position. Earlier, he had lost some money in the share market but that did not affect him much."

"His sudden death has shocked us," added Arora, who runs an Educare branch in Rajouri Garden.

Mishra was a Physics Honours graduate from Calcutta University and gave coaching to students in subjects like mathematics and science.

Piyush Khanna, one of his students, said: “He was a happy-go-lucky man, very noble at heart. He taught us and was in a jovial mood last night. We are surprised."

Another student said Mishra used to smoke heavily and he might have died of heart attack.

Last week, a businessman from Haryana had allegedly committed suicide by hanging himself from the ceiling fan at his home. In his suicide note, he cited losses of Rs.80 lakh in the stock market as the reason behind his suicide.