20-year-old dies after taking weight loss pills in Sriperumbudur

CHENNAI: A 20-year-old youth, who is suspected to have taken pills for weight loss, died in Sriperumbudur on Tuesday.

The deceased, Surya of Somangalam near Sriperumbudur, was working at a private milk shop. Police said his friends used to mock him for being obese, due to which he decided to lose weight by taking pills. After enquiring with a few people, he bought some pills and was taking them regularly for the past two weeks.

Officials said though he lost weight, Surya also became weak. On New Year’s day, Surya fell seriously ill and was admitted to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital in a critical condition. He was kept in ICU while under treatment. But on Tuesday, he died without responding to treatment.

The Somangalam police registered a case under Section I74 and said the exact reason for the death would be known only after the post-mortem examination. The police are also investigating which all pills he took for weight loss and who suggested them to him.