An 18-year-old youth was found hanging from the ceiling of his tea shop in Jharkhand’s Giridih district on Wednesday, with neighbours saying he had been worried about falling income during the pandemic-induced lockdown.

According to data available with Jharkhand police, 449 people have committed suicide between March 25, when the lockdown began, and June-end.

Binod Roy, the youth from Khapeyabera village in Giridih, 190km from state capital Ranchi, is survived by his father and three sisters. Binod’s mother had passed away two years ago.

“We got information about the suicide and rushed to the spot to find the body hanging inside the tin-shed tea shop. The shocked family members could not say anything about the reason for the suicide. Neighbours, however, said the youth had been worried about the lack of earnings from the tea shop during the lockdown as he had to look after three sisters. His father’s earnings had also been affected during the lockdown. He (Binod) had started drinking in the last few days and might have taken the extreme step because of depression,” said Madhuban police station OC Rautu Honhaga.

Binod’s father Ranglal Roy is a mason.

“We have sent the body for an autopsy at Giridih Sadar Hospital and lodged an unnatural death case as there was no external injury and the shop was locked from inside and had been opened by his father in the presence of neighbours. No suicide note was found,” the officer added.

Village chief Nirmal Turi said Binod used to often sleep in the tea shop.

“Binod’s father had told me that the youth had been depressed for the past few days because of poverty. On Tuesday night, he had dinner and went to sleep as usual in the shop. He used to wake up early in the morning. As the shop was closed from inside even at 8am, his father peeped through cracks in the tin gates and saw Binod hanging from the ceiling. He shouted for help and neighbours informed the police, who broke open the shop and took down the body,” Turi said.