Childless for 14 yrs, couple found hanging in Etah

Agra: A married couple was found hanging from a tree in a field in Rashidpur village of Etah district on Wednesday morning. Police suspect a suicide pact driven by deep distress over not having children.Bhanu Pratap (38) and his wife Rama Devi (35) had been married for 14 years. Family members said the couple was mentally distressed.According to villagers, Devi went to the fields on Tuesday evening to collect fodder but did not return. Pratap later went searching for her. Their bodies were discovered about 500 m away from each other.Jalesar CO Gyanendra Kumar stated that prima facie, it appears the wife hanged herself first, and the husband, upon discovering her body, took his own life. Additional SP Shwetabh Pandey noted that preliminary findings show the couple shared a harmonious relationship but were profoundly troubled by their childlessness.Senior police officials, alongside a forensic field unit and dog squad, have collected evidence from the scene. Police said the exact cause of death will be confirmed only after the post-mortem and forensic reports arrive.