Shahjahanpur, Jun 10 (IANS): The Shahjahanpur police in Uttar Pradesh have arrested a moneylender for abetment of suicide of four members of a family.

The family of four had ended their lives on Monday, allegedly under pressure to return the loan to Avinash Bajpai aka Akash.

Bajpai was arrested on Wednesday from Allahaganj area on Shahjahanpur border while he was trying to flee to a neighbouring district.

He has been booked under IPC section 306 (abetment of suicide) by the police.

After the death of the family, SSP Shahjahanpur, S Anand, has launched a helpline number in the district on which people can report if they are harassed by a moneylender.

It may be recalled that Akhilesh Gupta ,42, a wholesale supplier of medicines, his wife and two minor children were found hanging inside their house on Monday.

In his suicide note, Gupta had held Avinash Bajpai responsible for this extreme step.

SSP Anand said that Gupta was a resident of Faridpur area of Bareilly district and had settled in Shahjahanpur to expand his business. He moved into his own house from a rented one and was settling down when he met Bajpai, the money lender.

He said, "Bajpai had helped Gupta in getting an undisclosed amount of money on interest. Akhilesh failed to return the money and Bajpai forced him to transfer the ownership of his house.

Gupta was then living in his own house as a tenant and recently, Bajpai sent a legal notice to him to vacate the house. Gupta was quite tensed after getting the eviction notice and that probably made him kill himself and his family. We have sent Bajpai to jail for abetment of suicide."

The SSP said the autopsy of the bodies confirmed death by hanging.