Paravoor woman suicide: Asha ran business, lent money to others, death over debt puzzles friends

Hours before Asha Benny,  a 42-year-old woman from Kottuvally in North Paravoor, took her life by jumping into the Periyar on August 19, her elderly mother saw her frantically scribbling something on a piece of paper. But the ailing old woman thought Asha was busy recording some details of her business and she had never even imagined it would be a farewell note from her daughter until the police retrieved her body from Periyar later in the afternoon.

Asha’s death came as a shock to her family and friends, who had no inkling of her deep financial troubles. Everyone knew her for her pleasant smile, her active role in local women's groups, and her willingness to help others, even financially. No one, including Prasheela Benny, her close friend and neighbour, knew she was quietly fighting her own demons.

Prasheela, who is also the member of East Kottuvally ward in the Kottuvally panchayat, revealed that Asha had even lied about a previous suicide attempt. She had cut her vein just a week ago. "When I met her on August 15, she was wearing a sling on her hand and told me she had a scooter accident and injured her hand. Only after her death, we got to know about her suicide attempt, and I realised she was lying to me and used the accident story and sling to hide the self-inflicted wound. If she had hinted at her financial issues, we could have helped, and she might still be alive," Prasheela told Onmanorama.

Prasheela was surprised to learn Asha had borrowed ₹10 lakh without even telling her family. According to her, Asha ran a Kerala Store (K-store), a unit under the government's Smart Shopping Centre project that combines Supplyco outlets, ration shops, Milma booths, e-services, etc. One of the shops in her building adjacent to the house was rented out for a ration shop also.

“She supplemented her income by selling handmade rosaries. Her family seemed to be doing well: her son, Godson, had a job, and her daughter, Jeevani, was set to study in Germany. The family had even recently renovated their house with earnings from her husband, Benny, a Gulf returnee who now works in construction. Asha was happy and proud about all these, and she was ready to help us financially whenever we needed money. Even Benny and the children had no idea why she would borrow the money,” Prasheela said.

Asha’s first suicide attempt on August 11 was reported to the police by the hospital where she was taken after the incident. It was the first time her family learned of her debts. While she confessed to the police that she had tried to take her life due to financial struggles, she didn't provide many details. The family, wanting to protect her, tried to hide the incident from relatives and friends.

Munambam DySP S Jayakumar, who is leading the special investigation team, said that it was only after a few days later the family approached Ernakulam Rural Police chief and complained about the harassment and threats by retired police officer Pradeep Kumar and his wife Bindu, from whom Asha had reportedly borrowed the money.

“Following this, both parties were summoned to North Police Station on August 18. Asha claimed she had borrowed only ₹10 lakhs and repaid over three times of the money. But Bindu and Pradeep claimed they lent her ₹20 lakhs, and they are yet to get over ₹18 lakhs. The police warned Pradeep and his wife to stop harassing Asha and directed them to move legally to reclaim the alleged money they lent to Asha,” Jayakumar said. But on the same night, Pradeep and Bindu went to Asha’s house and had an argument with her publicly at the gate and threatened over the repayment of the money. And the very next day, Asha took her life.

Meanwhile, the police on Thursday recorded the arrest of Deepa, daughter of retired police officer Pradeep Kumar and Bindu, who are accused in the case facing suicide abetment charges. According to the police, Deepa was also with Bindu and Pradeep when they had a public argument with Asha on the night of August 18. As per the suicide note, it was following the mental stress caused by this incident that Asha ended her life.

“Based on witness statements, we found that Deepa was also involved in the argument, so suicide abetment charges have been filed against her as well,” Jayakumar said. “Pradeep and Bindu are still on the run, and we are working to track them down.”

However, the police still have no evidence to state that illegal money lending had happened between Bindu and Asha. “Asha said that she had borrowed ₹10 lakhs from Pradeep and Bindu. However, how she received the money or for what purpose she used it is still unclear, even for her husband. We are also checking the source of ₹20 lakh, which Pradeep and Bindu claimed to have lent to Asha. We are collecting the bank account details of Bindu, Pradeep and Asha to verify the transactions. Their phones are also being checked,” police sources said.