TIRUPATI: A day after being discharged from hospital after suffering hypertension, a 50-year-old man killed himself fearing he contracted the dreaded coronavirus (COVID-19) and would spread it to his family. The incident happened in Chittoor district on Monday, but came to light only on Tuesday.
The deceased, Balakrishna, was treated in Tirupati last week and told that he had an infection. After two days in hospital, he got better, and returned to his village in Chittoor district on Sunday. But fearing that he was infected with COVID-19, Balakrishna isolated himself from his family.
“He remained aloof, saying he was infected with coronavirus and asked his family not to come near him. When they tried to approach him, he got agitated, threw stones at them and then locked himself in a room,’’ district medical and health officer Dr M Penchalaiah said.