Software engineer kills self at apartment off OMR in Chennai

CHENNAI: A 38-year-old software engineer, who was reportedly undergoing treatment after being mentally disturbed, allegedly killed himself by wrapping a power cable around his body at his apartment near Thazhambur off Old Mahabalipuram Road (OMR).

It was his wife, who returned home on Thursday night after a temple tour, who found his body and alerted the neighbours.

The deceased man was identified as Karthikeyan. He lived with his wife Jayarani and two children. A native of Theni district, Karthikeyan was working at a software firm in Pallavaram for about 15 years, said officials.

Police investigations revealed that the deceased was mentally disturbed in the recent past and was undergoing treatment for the same.

On Monday, Jayarani left for Thirunallaru temple with her friends and family members after leaving the children at the care of her family. Police said Karthikeyan was alone at home after his wife left for the temple visit.

When Jayarani returned home on Thursday night, she repeatedly knocked the door. However, they elicited no response from inside. She then dug out the key that she had carried in her bag. When she opened the door, she found Karthikeyan lying unconscious inside the house.

Panicked after seeing him wrapped with a power cable, she raised an alarm and alerted her neighbours immediately. Based on the alert they gave, a police team rushed to the house and found that he had died by then.

The officials secured Karthikeyan's body and moved it to a government hospital for a post-mortem examination. The police have registered a case of unnatural death and are probing if there are other reasons that prompted him to take the extreme step.