BAHAWALNAGAR: A fruit vendor, father of five, allegedly killed himself as he was unable to pay inflated power bill in Chishtian, 42 km here, on Friday night.

The deceased had reportedly paid hefty electricity bill for the months of May and June by borrowing money from relatives and friends, family claimed.

The family, in a video statement, told Dawn that 35-year-old Sajid of Bhatta Colony, a fruit vendor by profession and a father of five (four of them minor daughters), was the sole breadwinner of his family and was struggling to support them by doing hard work on a daily basis.

Sajid had borrowed Rs 8,722 in the month of May to pay the electricity bill and had to sell some valuable households to pay the bill of Rs11,782 for the month of June, a family member said.

He said Sajid was depressed when he received Rs 17,447 bill for the month of July as it was more than his earnings for the entire month, adding that Sajid earned only Rs 400 to Rs 500 per day from fruit selling in the streets and neighborhoods.

He said Sajid asked his brothers and parents for a loan to pay it, but due to poverty they could not help him.

“Sajid was forced to take this extreme step of committing suicide,” a relative revealed.

Shamim, mother of the deceased, told Dawn her son took some poison on Aug 8. He was referred from the THQ Chishtian and then to the Bahawal Victoria Hospital, Bahawalpur, where he died on Aug 9.

A police report issued on Aug 10 states that due to the hefty electricity bills, Sajid became depressed and consumed poison.

Published in Dawn, August 11th, 2024