BENGALURU: A 38-year-old farm labourer committed suicide by consuming poison after he failed to arrange money for Ugadi celebrations on Friday night at Chikkanna Hosahalli village near Devanahalli, north Bengaluru.

Vishwanathapura police said Mutturaja, a resident of Chikkanna Hosahalli, took the extreme step after he went to a chit fund operator, who declined to return his wife's investments and was assaulted by the latter's husband.

Police have registered a case of abetment to suicide against the chit fund operator's husband on the basis of a complaint filed by Mutturaja's wife Ramadevi.

Ramadevi told police she had become a member of the 10-member lottery chit fund run by villager Pavithra. Ramadevi paid five instalments of Rs 1,000 each and she was not selected in the lucky draw to access her fund.

"We had no cash with us to celebrate Ugadi festival and I went to Pavithra and asked her to return my money. I begged her to give me at least Rs 2,000 for festival expenses. But she declined. My husband Mutturaja, too, went to her residence around 7pm on Friday to ask her for our money. Pavithra's husband Anand assaulted my husband," said Ramadevi. She alleged that her husband felt ashamed in front of the villagers and rushed to his residence and consumed poison. Muttutaja was taken to the government hospital in Doddaballapura and later to Victoria Hospital in Bengaluru, where he died around 2.30am on Saturday.

Police are on the lookout for Anand, who is at large after Mutturaja's death.