CHENNAI: An elderly couple allegedly committed suicide in their house at Iyyappanthangal on Monday night, depressed over their children’s distressed lives.
The couple was identified as Manoharan (66), a former technical officer in Avadi Tank Factory, and his wife Jeeva (62), who retired as an officer from Accountant-General’s Office at Teynampet. “On Monday night, residents of Pushpa Nagar noticed smoke billowing out of Manoharan’s house. They alerted fire and rescue services personnel, who doused the flames.
Police reached the spot and sent the bodies to Kilpauk Medical College and Hospital for autopsy,” said a police officer. They also recovered two cheques of `2 lakh each written to their son M Saravanan. A suicide note with a few names and contact details of relatives was also found.
“The couple had mentioned in the note that the money was meant for their funeral expenses and they wished their bodies to be cremated and not buried,” added the officer. It was found that the couple had two children - Karthika and Saravanan- who both got married and then divorced. Upset over this, the couple decided to end their lives by setting themselves afire, when they were alone at home.
Karthika works as a headmistress in a middle school at Sriperumbudur and the couple lives with their son, who had gone to Palani to celebrate New Year.