Daska widow commits suicide over Rs 25000 electricity, gas bills

A widow in Punjab's Daska area committed suicide after being overwhelmed by mounting financial pressures from unpaid utility bills.

Struggling to make ends meet, Razia, who operated a grain-roasting furnace to support her family, had been grappling with a gas bill of 16,000 rupees and an electricity bill of 9,000 rupees.

The situation became unbearable for Razia as officials from the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (GAPCO) had been repeatedly 'threatening' to disconnect her electricity over unpaid dues.

Family members shared that the emotional and psychological burden intensified on Monday when GAPCO officials arrived at her residence to remove the electricity meter. In despair, Razia consumed pesticide pills stored in the wheat and tragically ended her life.

Razia was the sole breadwinner of her family as her three sons were unemployed.

The family was living in a dilapidated, three-room house, deprived of even basic household appliances such as a bulb, fan, motor, or refrigerator.

The daily struggle to survive amid soaring inflation and relentless utility bills had become an overwhelming burden.

Local police have since moved her body to the civil hospital for legal procedures.