Pressure from lenders has forced the couple to take the extreme step, cops said (Representational)
A married couple died by suicide due to their inability to repay debts incurred by their 22-year-old son through online gambling, police said on Wednesday.
U Maheshwar Reddy (45) and his wife ended their lives on Tuesday night in their farm at Abdullapuram village in Nandyala district.
"The couple consumed a soft drink laced with insecticide as they could not repay the debts to the tune of crores of rupees incurred by their son," Atmakuru sub-divisional police officer R Ramanji Naik told PTI.
According to police, Maheshwar Reddy had already sold five acres of his land to clear debts worth Rs 2 crore. He also disposed of the family home and other assets as per a settlement arrived at a local kangaroo court for clearing the remaining debts.
For the past six months, the couple was living with a relative while the son was residing in Hyderabad.
Mounting pressure from lenders has forced the couple to take the extreme step, they added.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)