TIRUCHY: A debt-ridden woman poisoned her 10-year-old daughter and killed herself in Thanjavur on Wednesday. Sources said, Ramanathan (45), a resident from Karikadu near Pattukkottai in Thanjavur was running a tea stall in the locality.

It is said, that he had a loss in the business and so borrowed money for interest which he could not repay promptly. So, he sold his shop and was working in a tea stall while his wife Kaleeshwari (35) was stitching clothes for their daily bread. Meanwhile, the money lenders had pressured the couple for the repayment of the borrowed money and this led to a quarrel between the couple.

On Tuesday night the couple continued to fight and Ramanathan left home. On Wednesday, when Ramanathan’s mother Chellammal went to see him, the house was locked inside. She called the neighbours and broke open the house and was shocked to see Kaleeshwari hanging while the daughter Divyadharshini was lying dead on the bed.

The initial investigation found that Kaleeshwari had poisoned the daughter and hanged herself. On information Pattukkottai town police rushed to the spot and retrieved the bodies and sent them to the GH. The police also registered a case and are investigating.