CHENNAI: A 38-year-old lorry driver died by suicide at Chettipuniyam near Singaperumal Koil in Chengalpattu district on Thursday, two days after his seven-year-old son drowned in a well. The deceased has been identified as V Vinayagam.
His son, Yuvaraj, a UKG student at a panchayat union middle school, died after falling into an agricultural well on April 28 while playing near their house. At the time, Vinayagam was at work, while the boy’s mother had gone out to graze goats. The police said Vinayagam had been in deep distress following the incident.
Vinayagam, on April 30, was at home with his father-in-law, while his wife had gone a relative’s house nearby. After lunch, when his father-in-law fell was asleep, Vinayagam left the house. The police said he went to the same well where his son had drowned. When he did not return, a relative grew suspicious and searched for him. His body was later found in the well, and police were alerted. Fire and rescue personnel retrieved the body and sent it for postmortem. Sources said Vinayagam’s eyes were donated to the Chengalpattu GH.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)