Bhubaneswar, Aug. 5: A 56-year-old woman was today found lying dead outside her house in Gada Gopinath Prasad colony.

Police identified the woman as Nirmala Das, a retired state government employee. Authorities of Capital Hospital, where the body had been taken, stated that she had consumed poison. No suicide note has been found.

However, the deceased’s 22-year-old daughter Monalisa Das, who used to stay with her mother, said Nirmala took the extreme step after she had failed to repay loans taken from a private finance company and some people in her neighbourhood.

Nirmala, a divorcee, was a section officer in the revenue department. Four years ago, she retired under the state government’s voluntary retirement scheme.

Monalisa said last night she found her mother in good health, but this morning a neighbour came to inform her that Nirmala was lying outside the house.

“I rushed to the spot only to find her dead. I immediately informed Mancheswar police and one of my mother’s former colleagues, who used to stand by us through thick and thin,” said Monalisa.

Monalisa, who is also a divorcee, said her mother had taken loans from a Delhi-based private finance company with branches in the state a few years ago. But after her retirement, their financial condition deteriorated and she had to borrow money from several neighbours to repay the loan.

“My mother was disturbed over the past few days as the neighbours had started demanding their money back. She might have ended her life because she failed to cope with the situation,” said Monalisa.

Now, Monalisa fears that these people, who had lent money to Nirmala, might seek it from her. “I am afraid of them as they may now start harassing me. If they keep on pestering me, I will approach the police or take my mother’s path and end my life,” she said.

Nirmala’s former colleague, who rushed from Cuttack to help Monalisa carry out her mother’s last rites, said: “They never told me about their financial problems. I will try to help Monalisa so that no one harasses her,” said the man, who did not want to be named.

In another development, a police official said they had registered an unnatural death case. “The family has not informed us about any outside pressure, but they have told us that she had taken some loans. We are verifying the claims,” he said.