Bengaluru: Techie ends life by jumping in front of train! Why did he commit suicide?

BENGALURU: A 40-year-old unemployed techie and father of two took his own life by jumping in front of a train near Anekal railway station. This tragic incident occurred following alleged harassment by loan recovery agents and officials from a prominent bank.

According to a complaint filed by his brother-in-law, Rajeev Rajan, the agents forcibly entered Gaurishankar Sharma's apartment and humiliated him by locking him out of his home for failing to pay installments for 18 months. Sharma, who had lost his job in 2019 and was struggling to find employment, warned that he would end his life if they threw him and his family out, but his pleas were ignored. The complaint names Rakesh Kumar Sinha, the bank’s assistant vice president of the home loans section, and staffer Prasanna C as responsible for Sharma’s death.

Although Sharma died on Friday, July 12, the incident only came to light on Thursday, July 18, and his body was identified by his family on Monday, July 15.

Rajan explained to TNIE that no one in Sharma’s family, including his wife, a teacher at a prominent private school, was aware of his financial troubles. Sharma, originally from Bihar, had worked in a senior role at Siemens Technologies in Bengaluru for 12 years before being laid off. He lived with his family in a 2BHK flat in a large residential complex on Anekal-Chandapura Road.

The family is now in Gaya to immerse his ashes in the Ganges. Speaking from Gaya, Rajan said, “After I heard about the house being locked, I rushed from Bihar by a 3 am flight to reach Bengaluru and pay Rs 3.24 lakh, the installment amount due for the last 1.5 years. I had paid the amount and collected their house key from the bank on Monday. Just as I was about to leave the bank, I got a WhatsApp message from the police with a picture of his body asking me to identify him.”

He added, “I finally got the key to the house from the bank but the owner was dead.”

Rajan recounted that on the day of Sharma's death, armed with a court order, an advocate, three bank representatives including a loan recovery agent, and a constable arrived at Sharma’s house around 12:30 pm. Sharma’s wife and children were not home. The agents ordered him to open the door and then threw him out, not even allowing him to take his wallet or Aadhaar card. A neighbor, who wished to remain anonymous, said, “I could hear him telling the people that his children and wife will be on the streets if they do this and to give him time till Monday to pay the dues. He was telling them he would end his life if he was humiliated like this.”

After his house was sealed with a bank notice, Sharma went to his wife’s school and informed her of an emergency at home. Rajan continued, “Even as my sister went to meet the principal to take permission, a very upset Sharma walked to the railway tracks near Anekal, 1.5 km away, and fell in front of an arriving train.”

Upon reaching home and seeing the notice, Sharma’s wife immediately contacted Rajan, who assured the bank that he would make the payment by Monday. She also reported her husband as missing to the police. However, despite Rajan's repeated pleas, the police refused to file an FIR after Sharma's death, only allowing a complaint to be lodged without providing any acknowledgment.