A poor rickshaw-puller committed suicide by hanging himself from a statue of Ambedkar in Hyderabad on Saturday morning.

Police said the victim, identified as Bikshapati, a native of Mahbubabad in Warangal district, ended his life because of financial troubles.

Bhikshapati hanged himself from a huge statue of Dr B R Ambedkar on the busy Tank Bank road abutting Hussainsagar lake during the morning peak-hour traffic. Before any of the passers-by could realise what was happening, Bikshapati was dead.

The statue is located just across a traffic police outpost. The police later shifted the body to the Gandhi Hospital for post-mortem.

They found a suicide note in Bikshapati's pocket which said he was taking the drastic step as he was unable to support his family with his meager earnings.

The Saifabad police have registered a case of suicide.