A coconut merchant today committed suicide by hanging in his house, reportedly due to financial burden and harassment from private moneylender, near Pollachi, 35 kms from here.

According to the police, Duraisamy had taken Rs 4 lakh on interest from a money lender and paid the entire capital and interest. However, the moneylender, as part of usury, was demanding more money and harassing the merchant.

Unable to bear the torture and financial difficulty, Duraisamy committed suicide by hanging in his room early today.

The relatives refused to accept the body from the Government Hospital there after postmortem and picketed the office of the Deputy Superintendent of Police, seeking a detailed inquiry.

Senior district and police officials have rushed to the spot.