Dad Poisons Self With Pesticide-Laced Cola; Son Also Dies After Drinking Leftover Soda

A man in the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh died by suicide last week after drinking a pesticide-laced soft drink.

The man, identified as 28-year-old carpenter M Venkata Ramana, died Friday after he consumed half a bottle of cola laced with pesticide at his home in Korasavada, Srikakulam, the night before, The Times of India reported.

The man's 3-year-old son, Nihal, as well as his 5-year-old daughter, Yamini, drank what remained in the soft drink bottle after family members and neighbors took their father to RIMS hospital Srikakulam in critical condition, according to the outlet. The two children were unaware the drink had been laced with pesticide.

Ramana died in the hospital on Friday night. His son also died, while his daughter is battling for her life in the hospital.

The father was unable to find a regular job due to the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing him to borrow money from friends and local lenders to make ends meet, according to the outlet.

Ramana sold his small house to repay the loans, but he was unable to clear his debt. He decided to end his life after the situation became worse, according to the report.

A similar incident happened in late August when a couple in India consumed poison and the husband slit their two children's throats in an apparent suicide pact.

The couple, identified as Ravi Thakre and his wife Ranjana Thakre, consumed poison before the former used a floor tile cutter to slit the throats of their 16-year-old son Chirag and 14-year-old daughter Gunjan while the two teens were asleep in the family's home in Madhya Pradesh state on Aug. 28.

Chirag died on the spot, but the electric tile cutter broke as it was being used on the daughter. Their 56-year-old father died shortly after.

Ranjana and her daughter were taken to the hospital in critical condition. Both survived and later provided police with recorded statements regarding the incident.

Police recovered a four-page suicide note written by the civil engineering graduate father, who claimed that he had been unemployed for the last three months and that the family was going through a financial crisis. The family reportedly had an outstanding balance of over Rs 10 lakh ($13,600) for a housing loan they took to purchase a home in 2012.

The note also mentioned that the children's school fees had been unpaid in the past two years. Chirag and Gunjan were Class 11 and 8 students, respectively, at a private school in Ratanpur. The father said in the note that he decided to take his children's lives as he feared they would not have a good future after he died.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.