Hanumakonda: What was initially suspected to be a case of a short-circuit turned out to be a suicide bid by a couple running a food stall at Adalath Junction in Warangal’s Hanumakonda town. According to the police, Lingala Kedari and his wife Pushpalatha allegedly set themselves on fire at their hotel on Wednesday night (Sept 9) following a dispute over rent. While Kedari died on the spot, Pushpalatha, who suffered around 90% burns, died at MGM Hospital on Thursday morning.Police suspect the couple took the extreme step after the property owner, S Ramu, allegedly locked the premises over non-payment of rent.Based on a complaint by the couple’s son, Prudhvi Raj, Subedari police registered a case of suspicious death.According to the complainant, Kedari and his wife had been running the food stall at the location for several years. Trouble began between the couple and Ramu a few months ago after Kedari failed to pay the rent for the stall due to financial constraints.“On Tuesday (Sept 8), the owner approached my father and got into an argument over the pending rent. He locked the eatery and went away,” the complainant said, adding, “Hoping to resolve the issue, my parents went to Ramu’s residence to convince him to open the place. But when he didn’t listen, they broke the lock on Wednesday night and went in.”A fire broke out at the site later that night, gutting the property and leaving the couple dead. While it was initially reported as a fire accident caused by a short circuit, a police probe established that it was a case of suicide.“The pressure of being unable to pay the rent had left Kedari and his wife distressed. We are questioning the property owner,” said Subedari inspector M Ranjith Kumar. The bodies were handed over to the family.
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