Man kills himself over fines for extra kids

A villager in Hebei province allegedly committed suicide after an official fined him for having more children than allowed under the family planning policy, Beijing Youth Daily reported on Tuesday.

Ai Guangdong, 45, of Qiuxian county, died of drinking pesticide on Dec 4, leaving behind a wife and five children, the paper said.

Ai and his wife have four daughters and their youngest child is a 4-year-old boy. According to provincial family planning policies, they were supposed to pay more than 100,000 yuan ($16,470) in social maintenance fees for having more children than allowed by policy, the report said.

The day before Ai died, he sold more than 3,500 kilograms of corn for 6,220 yuan and gave the money to the village head to pay the fees, according to the report.

It was unclear how much he had paid in the past.

The county government has established a team to investigate the case, adding that the village head urged Ai to pay without receiving any notice from higher authorities, the report said.

The local government has offered to help the family apply for social welfare allowances and funds for housing renovations after Ai's death.