Video from Gujarat falsely shared as man commits suicide in Surat due to financial crisis

A video of a man jumping from a building is circulating on social media. It is being claimed that the man in the video is 51-year-old Piyush Pachhigar who attempted to commit suicide from the fifth floor of a building in Surat because he was going through a financial crisis. “सूरत के 51 वर्षीय व्यापारी पीयूष धीरज लाल पच्चीगर ने आर्थिक तंगी से परेशान होकर पांचवीं मंजिल से कूद कर आत्महत्या की, सर पर चोट लगने से मौके पर ही मौत हो गयी,” posted one Deepak Bisht while sharing the video on Facebook.

Many individuals on Facebook are sharing the video with a similar narrative.

Fact-check

The incident took place in Vapi town of Valsad district, Gujarat and not Surat. It was covered by several mainstream media outlets including India Today, The Times of India, and The Indian Express. Piyush Pachhigar, a resident of Mahidharpura area of the city, committed suicide by jumping from the fifth floor of a building. He was staying in a hotel located in the building. On September 26, TOI reported that the man had allegedly stolen jewellery from a shop in Vapi and fearing arrest after the owner of the shop came to know about his whereabouts, he jumped from the building. According to the preliminary investigation conducted by the police, Pachhigar used to make money by cheating people. It was also revealed that he had stolen jewellery worth Rs 18000 from a shop in the city a year ago.

“Pachhigar came to stay in the hotel on Tuesday and the jeweller came to know about this. The jeweller met Pachhigar on Wednesday morning to recover his stolen jewellery after which he climbed on terrace and committed suicide,” said a Vapi police officer in a statement given to the media outlet.

In conclusion, a video of a man who committed suicide in Valsad, Gujarat to allegedly avoid getting arrested for theft was circulated with a false claim. The man did not end his life due to a financial crisis.