An Indian ends life every sixth day in Oman

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In a worrying sign, an Indian living in Oman has been found to commit suicide every sixth day, owing to financial stress or personal issues, official data shows.

23 Indians had committed suicide in different parts of the Sultanate till mid-April this year.

In January and February, eight Indians committed suicide in each month, while four ended their life in March.

Three people had committed suicide till mid-April, Times of Oman reported, quoting data available with Indian embassy in Muscat.

Last week, an Indian mother of three was found hanging from the ceiling at her flat in Ruwi region. 50 Indians committed suicide in Oman in the year 2010, while another 54 in 2011, the report said.

Psychologists and social workers in Oman call this an alarming phenomenon. "Even though the number of suicides was slightly low in March and April, it was quite high in January and February," an Indian lawyer told the paper.

The reasons behind the suicides, psychologists say, are either financial stress or personal issues such as low self-esteem, depression and interpersonal conflict. Several Indian social and spiritual groups are working in Oman to prevent the rising number of suicides.

"The reason for the high number of suicides could be the lack of someone to confide in," P M Jabir, Indian Social Club Welfare Secretary, said.

"Many of the victims are people who are living away from their families and relatives, which lead to loneliness and stress. Also, most of these people might be undergoing tremendous financial crisis in fulfilling the family obligations back home. "To overcome all that, they seek easy methods like taking loans from private money lenders, which later turns into a death trap," he said.

A senior Indian embassy official said the mission is ready to provide help to Indians who are under stress.

"A dedicated Community Welfare Wing, headed by a senior India-based officer, caters exclusively to the needs of distressed Indian workers," A.P.S. Chauhan, Second Secretary (Community Welfare, Culture and HOC) at the Indian Embassy, said.