Mumbai: Stressed out over ‘pending dues’, caterer kills himself

Prakash Rathod was running his catering business from an office in Panjrapole

A 46-year-old caterer from Govandi committed suicide by hanging on November 17 allegedly over pending dues. According to Prakash Rathod's family, he was suffering financially during the pandemic as many people had not cleared his dues. The Govandi police have registered an accidental death report and are investigating.

Rathod was running his catering business for the last 20 years. He used to take orders and bookings in Eastern Mumbai and Navi Mumbai, too. He left his home around 1 pm on November 17 and went to his office in Panjrapole.

One of his friends went to his office the same day to meet him, but his assistant said he was busy. When he didn't show up for a long time, his assistant opened his cabin door and found him hanging from the ceiling. Soon after, the cops were called and they rushed him to Shatabdi Hospital, where he was declared dead on arrival. A post-mortem conducted at Rajawadi Hospital has found asphyxia to be the primary reason behind his death.

An officer from the Govandi police station said, "We found a paper in his pocket which had some details about his catering service and names of a few people. No suicide note has been recovered. We are trying to find out whether there is any connection between the names and his suicide." Prakash's elder brother Pralhad Rathod said, "Some or the person was constantly bothering him over money. He was under tremendous pressure." "We have asked the family to produce proof of their allegations," said Balasaheb Kedare, sr inspector of Govandi police.