A debt-ridden horticulturist Bayyapu Reddy, 50, self-immolated in his banana plantation at P. Rangapuram in Peapully mandal in Kurnool district late on Saturday night.
Bayyapu Reddy, who raised banana plantation in eight acres, suffered crop losses with two borewells drying up in his orchard. Anguished that he might not be able to clear debts, he doused himself in kerosene and set himself ablaze.
As the villagers were engrossed in immersion of Sri Durga Devi idols on Saturday night, no one noticed the incident. Bayyapu Reddy’s family members detected his badly burnt body on Sunday morning and alerted police. Jaladurgam Sub-Inspector Satish Kumar registered a case and sent the body for
post-mortem.
