Tragic Incident in Gujarat: Family of Three Found Dead; Debt-Related Suicide Suspected

Ahmedabad, March 27 (NationPress) Three individuals from a family were discovered deceased at their home in Umargram, located in Gujarat's Valsad district, as reported by an official on Thursday. Among the deceased is a two-year-old child.

The police have initiated a comprehensive investigation into the case, which is believed to involve suicide, according to authorities.

The tragedy occurred on the third floor of Neelkanth Apartment on the outskirts of Umargam, where 28-year-old Shivam Vishwakarma, his wife Aarti Vishwakarma, and their two-year-old child were found lifeless.

Concern arose when neighbors noticed that their apartment door remained closed for an extended period in the morning.

They knocked and called out, but there was no response. Alarmed, they alerted the police. Upon arrival, officers forced the door open, revealing a chilling scene – Shivam Vishwakarma was found hanging from the ceiling, while the bodies of his wife and child lay inside the apartment.

Preliminary police investigations suggest that Shivam Vishwakarma, originally from Jhansi, was employed at a private firm in Umargam.

Neighbors described him as a calm and sociable person, well-liked in the community. However, he had been under significant stress recently due to substantial financial losses in Forex trading (foreign exchange investments).

A close friend disclosed that Shivam had heavily invested in the Forex market, but recent downturns in the global economy resulted in considerable losses.

The police suspect that the family's accumulating debts and financial strain may have led them to this tragic decision.

Senior officials from both the Valsad and Umargam police departments rushed to the scene after receiving the alert.

The authorities have dispatched the three bodies for autopsy and have begun interrogating relatives, neighbors, and acquaintances to piece together the details surrounding this heartbreaking incident.

Speaking on the matter, Valsad Deputy SP Bhargav Pandya stated: "We are reviewing the deceased's mobile records, banking transactions, and financial paperwork. Although financial hardship seems to be the primary catalyst, we are exploring all avenues to eliminate other potential factors."

Gujarat has experienced a troubling increase in suicide rates in recent years, mirroring a broader national trend.

In 2021, the state recorded 8,789 suicides, representing a 9.1 percent rise from the 8,050 cases in 2020.

Across a three-year period, from 2019 to 2021, Gujarat documented 25,478 suicide cases, averaging approximately 25 suicides daily. A significant portion of these incidents involved daily wage workers.

In 2017, 2,131 daily wage earners took their own lives, a number that escalated to 3,204 in 2021.

The student demographic has also been impacted. Between 2017 and 2021, over 3,000 students in Gujarat died by suicide, underscoring the pressures faced by youth in academic environments.

In the 2022-23 period alone, the state recorded 8,538 suicides, with Ahmedabad city reporting the highest figures among all police jurisdictions.