A 55-year-old Delhi based mushroom farmer, who bought flight tickets for his Bihar-based workers to send them home during the Covid-19 pandemic-necessitated lockdown, allegedly died by suicide at a temple in Tigipur Village.The deceased has been identified as Pappan Singh Gahlot, a resident of village Tigipur. According to police, the farmer left behind a suicide note, citing an illness as the reason behind taking the extreme step.

The body has been sent for post-mortem. The farmer is survived by his wife and a daughter. According to a senior police official, at around 5 PM, a police control room (PCR) call was received at Alipur police station regarding hanging of a person in Shiv temple following which a policed team rushed to the spot. "When police team reached the spot, they found Pappan hanging from the ceiling fan in temple. His body was taken down. He had his house in front of the temple and he used to visit the temple daily," said the senior police official. "During initial enquiry, it was revealed that around 5 PM, the temple priest saw him hanging on the ceiling fan and the police was informed," said police official privy to investigation.

"Police have also found a suicide note in which Pappan had stated that, due to blood pressure and sugar issue he had taken this step," he added.  "There is no doubt and foul play till now. The dead body has been preserved for autopsy in BJRM hospital.

The family is not suspecting any foul play too," said police official adding that inquest proceedings will be done accordingly. According to local villagers, Pappan, the farmer, was doing farming of mushroom for last 29 years.

"Every year some families hailing from Sripur Gahar village in Bihar's Samastipur district and indulge in labourer activities used to come here to sow in his field and thereafter they return to their respective homes. During the nationwide lockdown, around 10 labourers, who had come to sow in his field were sent back to their native places by Pappan through flight," said the locals adding that it made him famous in whole Delhi.

"Pappan during had booked 10 flights tickets for these labourers on May 28, 2020 at 6 AM and he personally drop the all labourers to Indira Gandhi International (IGI) airport," said the locals.