GUJRAT: The body of 65 years old widow who committed suicide on Sunday evening by jumping into an open drain in Gujranwala was recovered from the Makki Road drain on Monday.

She was the mother of nine daughters and three sons.

Rescue 1122 and Wasa officials told Dawn that the body of Razia Saeed, a resident of Khiyali area of Gujranwala city, was recovered after two days of hectic search operation by the rescue teams.

Family sources said the woman was a hernia patient and doctors had advised her to undergo a surgery for which she had been saving money. However, they said she got dejected after Rs10,000 bill was delivered by Gepco a couple of days ago.

The family claimed that Razia paid the electricity bill from her savings and left the house after getting angry with other members of the family by saying that she would eliminate herself. One of her daughters tried to chase her but the woman jumped into the drain to committ suicide.

She was a widow having 12 children, including three sons and nine daughters.

Her son Usman told local media that the electricity bill of their house was used to be around Rs 1,000 to 1,300 per month but this time it was beyond the family’s available resources.

This was the second incident in Gujranwala in a week’s time. Earlier, a man was shot dead by by his elder brother after exchange of harsh words over Rs 30,354 electricity bill.

Published in Dawn, July 30th, 2024