‘Can’t buy daughter’s insulin’: Lucknow businessman shoots self after Facebook plea

Shahbaz, shot himself in the head with a licensed 12-bore gun belonging to a security guard at his office.

A 36-year-old real estate businessman from Lucknow, Uttar Pradesh, died by suicide on Wednesday after posting a live video on Facebook, where he spoke about his unbearable financial stress and his inability to buy insulin injections for his diabetic daughter, Free Press Journal reported.

According to the police, the man, identified as Shahbaz, shot himself in the head with a licensed 12-bore gun belonging to a security guard at his office. The incident took place in the Gudamba area.

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Before taking the extreme step, Shahbaz went live on Facebook and made an emotional appeal for help. He mentioned that he was under immense mental pressure due to a debt of Rs 15 crore. He also alleged that one of his business partners had been harassing him and added that he had reached a point where he could no longer cope.

In the video, Shahbaz pleaded with celebrities and industrialists to support his family after his death. He further said that he could not even arrange money to purchase insulin for his daughter, who suffers from diabetes.

By the time his family members, who saw the video, informed the police and rushed to his office, Shahbaz had already shot himself.
Gudamba police station inspector Prabhatesh Srivastava rushed to the spot on getting the news after which the deceased’s body was sent to a government hospital for postmortem. A forensic also reached the spot for probe. “A real estate businessman from Gudamba died by suicide after going live on Facebook. He was deeply troubled over a Rs 15 crore financial loss,” ETV Bharat quoted Inspector Srivastava as saying.

Police have registered a case and are looking into the financial records and loans mentioned by Shahbaz. They are also verifying his claims of harassment by a business partner.

This incident comes just weeks after another businessman in Lucknow allegedly took poison along with his wife and young daughter due to mounting debts. The child survived and was able to alert a relative, but the couple could not be saved, News18 reported.