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EXPRESS NEWS SERVICE
MUMBAI, SEPT 1: Crushed by the prospect of approaching death, a Gorai couple in their twenties hanged themselves to death -- but not before they repaid their debt to society. Santosh Sawant (29) and Snehalata Sawant (25) hanged themselves at their Navratna Cooperative Society residence on Tuesday, leaving a blank cheque among three suicide notes, to repay debtors who had helped the couple pay for Santosh's kidney ailment.
Steeped in debt already, the couple wrote three suicide notes before consuming poison and hanging themselves with sarees. Their bodies were discovered early today, when Snehalata's brother decided to pay the Sawants' a visit.
Santosh, an English lecturer at Mittal College of Arts and Science in Malad, had been married to Snehalata for five months, when his two-year-old kidney ailment turned acute. Doctors had told the couple that he required a kidney transplant immediately, which would cost over Rs 1 lakh. There was also no guarantee he would survive even after the operation, they hadsaid.
Senior Inspector with the Borivli police station, Datta Shelar, told Express Newsline that the couple had written suicide notes for their respective families besides a letter for the police. The latter read: ``Respected police inspector, we are dying of our accord and don't hold anybody else responsible for our deaths... Our souls will be at peace if you dont harass our relatives.''
To their parents they wrote: ``We wanted to live like you. But since it was not possible, we are ending our lives.'' They also gave a list of debts to be repaid and a blank cheque was left for debtors.
``This is a rare double-suicide I have come across in a long time. The victims' letter to the police states that they were totally helpless in the wake of Santosh's kidney problem. Though both of them were highly educated, Snehalata had stated that she too has opted for death despite being medically normal as it would be difficult for her to survive alone in today's tough world,'' Shelar says.
The suicide wasdiscovered by Snehalata's brother, who had come to Gorai to pay the Sawants a visit early today. Snehalata had worn all her ornaments at the time of committing suicide. Police have sent the bodies for post-mortem examination.
Principal of Mittal College, John D'Mello, said: ``Sawant had been looking increasingly weak in the last few months, and people used to say even earlier that he was planning to commit suicide.''
Vice-principal of the junior college section, where Sawant was teaching, Ragini Chavan, said: ``He had a health problem, but he was very regular at work. He was not only a good teacher, but also a good person.''
Copyright © 1999 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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