One dead as man, wife, girlfriend attempt suicide

A 38-year-old man who attempted suicide with his wife, daughter and girlfriend at a lodge in Triplicane on Sunday night died the next day.
Image for representational purposes.
Image for representational purposes.

CHENNAI: A 38-year-old man who attempted suicide with his wife, daughter and girlfriend at a lodge in Triplicane on Sunday night died the next day. The others are in critical condition. According to the police, Jegath Franklin of Vilavangadu in Kanniyakumari district was married to Punitha Rani (29) and they have a seven-year-old daughter. Jegath who had done a course in hotel management was working in Kanniyakumari itself.

“Preliminary investigations revealed that Jegath and Saranya (26), who were in a relationship, decided to elope to Chennai. However, his wife found out about the plan and told him that she could not live without him and convinced him to take her as well. A week ago, Jegath, his wife, daughter and Saranya, came to Chennai and checked into a lodge at Triplicane” said a police officer.

Around 10 pm on Sunday, his friend Arjun went to the lodge, but there was no response when he knocked on the door. Fearing the worst Arjun barged into the room only to find Jegath, Saranya and Punitha Rani lying unconscious and the little girl crying. Arjun alerted the lodge owner, who called an ambulance, the police added.

All four were rushed to the Royapettah Government Hospital, where doctors said the four had soft drinks laced with poison. Jegath died on Monday morning.“There is no clarity why they attempted suicide. Saranya is married and has two children. We are investigating if Jegath poisoned the others and killed himself,” said the police officer.

“The family of Saranya, Punitha Rani and Jegath has been informed and only after an inquiry we will know what happened,” said the officer. Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu’s health department’s helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.

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The New Indian Express
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