A vegetable seller in Maharashtra’s Aurangabad district allegedly committed suicide after the Maharashtra State Electricity Board (MSEB) sent him an electricity bill exceeding ₹8 lakh.
Jagannath Nehaji Shelke, a resident of Bharatnagar area, took his own life by hanging himself after receiving his bill for the month of April amounting to ₹8,65,020. Police sources said the incident occurred between 4:30 and 5 a.m. on Thursday.
Shelke had to pay the bill by May 17. His bill amount, if paid after May 17, read as ₹8,75,830.
“The deceased was apparently under severe stress after getting a bill with such figures. He pinned a note to his body saying he was extremely distressed with the humungous electricity bill and hence was forced to take his own life. We are in the process of lodging a complaint,” said an officer from the Garkheda police station, adding that further investigations were on.
Mr. Shelke’s kin have demanded that a case be lodged against the Electricity Board for causing his death and have refused to take possession of his body.
They further alleged that Shelke had apparently tried to bring this matter to the notice of MSEB authorities, but was ignored by them and asked to pay up by the line man.
The MSEB office in Aurangabad said that a clerk had wrongly computed the bill as the vegetable seller had recently installed a new meter. The clerk in question, Sunil Koli, has been suspended for negligence, said sources.
