"If You Don't Have Money, Die": 3 Friends Arrested After Surat Man's Suicide

A heartbreaking tale of friendship, betrayal and eventual suicide has emerged from Surat after police arrested three men on Friendship Day for pushing their friend, a businessman, to die by suicide.

Rajeshbhai Kunjadiya, an embroidery businessman living in Surat's Sarthana, died by consuming poison on July 30 after leaving behind a chilling suicide note that detailed the horrific situation he was put in by his friends, who owed him a total of Rs 17.32 lakh.

According to officials citing the suicide note, the victim said that the accused refused to return him the money and instead threatened and insulted him for months, leading him to end his life.

The victim Rajeshbhai, originally from Moniya village of Gujarat's Junagadh district, resided with his wife Bhavikaben and two children in Surat. His embroidery business was facing losses for the past three months, following which he was compelled to sell his embroidery machines and get Rs 14 lakh from the proceeds.

A few months ago, Rajeshbhai had lent Rs 14 lakh to his close friend, Ghanshyam Ahir, who told him that he wanted to go to Canada. Rajeshbhai trusted that his friend would return the money on time.

However, when he asked for the money back a month later, Ghanshyam refused to return the money and instead persuaded him to open multiple accounts across six banks in Rajeshbhai's name, claiming that they would be used for financial transactions. However, investigators now say that these were "mule accounts", which were meant to be used for cyber fraud.

When Rajeshbhai came to know about the true purpose of the accounts, he became terrified and objected to it. This became the beginning of his nightmare, as Ghanshyam started to threaten him by saying he would implicate Rajeshbhai in cyber crime and lodge a complaint against him.

The victim had also lent money to two other friends. Police said that Nikit (alias Ricky) and Dadhi Ahir had borrowed Rs 2 lakh and Rs 1.32 lakh from him, respectively. The total amount he lent to the trio added up to Rs 17.32 lakh.

According to the police, instead of repaying the money, the trio kept pressuring Rajeshbhai and humiliated him. They even mocked him by saying, "If you don't have the money, just die."

The constant threats and harassment completely broke Rajeshbhai. On July 30, he wrote a suicide note naming the three friends. He placed the note in the trunk of his vehicle, left home with his daughter and travelled some distance with her. He then sent her home, and consumed the poison.

Rajeshbhai managed to return home but the symptoms of the poison had started to show, prompting his wife to rush him to the hospital. However, despite efforts, doctors could not save him as he died during treatment.

Following the incident, the police initially registered a case of accidental death and began an investigation. After examining the suicide note, family statements, and other technical and documentary evidence, investigators found Rajeshbhai was under severe stress for months due to the mental harassment by his friends.

Upon finding sufficient evidence, the police registered a case - including charges of abetment to suicide - and arrested Ghanshyam Ahir, Nikit (alias Ricky), and Dadhi Ahir on August 2, which coincidentally was Friendship Day. The three accused are currently in police custody and the matter is being investigated.