Belagavi (Karnataka), March 24 A 65-year-old hotel owner allegedly committed suicide at his establishment in this district on Tuesday morning due to severe financial difficulties, police said.
The deceased, identified as Ramachandra Shankar Halluri, a resident of Hukkeri town, had been running 'Hanuman Hotel' near the old bus stand for the past 16 years.
According to police, Halluri had been experiencing sustained business losses over the past four to five years, which had significantly strained his financial situation. It is reported that he had a debt of approximately Rs 11 lakh and was reportedly finding it increasingly difficult to meet routine expenses, including rent and loan repayments.
On Tuesday morning, Halluri is said to have opened his hotel as usual around 6 am. However, he was later found hanging inside the premises.
Police personnel from the Hukkeri Police Station rushed to the spot upon receiving information, conducted a preliminary inspection, and shifted the body for post-mortem examination.
Preliminary investigation indicates that the primary reason for the suicide was the financial burden arising from loans taken for the hotel business, a senior police officer said.
The police denied rumors that the suicide was due to disruptions in gas cylinder supply affecting the hotel business.
"A filled gas cylinder was available at the hotel and was verified to be functional. It has been confirmed that financial stress due to inability to repay debts was the direct cause," the officer said.
Ruling out any suspicion of foul play, police said neither the family members nor others have expressed any suspicion regarding the death.