CHENNAI: A 57-year-old man and his two teenage sons were found dead in their house at Puzhal on Wednesday morning. Police suspect they may have died of asphyxiation after inhaling smoke from a generator that had been running inside their room while they were asleep. A further investigation is underway to ascertain the exact cause of death.
According to the Puzhal police, the deceased have been identified as Selvaraj, who ran a lorry transport service, and his two sons, Suman Raj (15) and Gokul Raj (13). The boys were students at a private school nearby.
The three had gone to sleep in a separate portion of the house, while Selvaraj’s wife and daughter slept in another section. Both portions are accessible only through separate entrances, police said.
Due to a power cut on Tuesday night, police suspect that Selvaraj may have turned on a diesel-run generator inside the room they were sleeping in.
“Since there was no proper ventilation, they must have asphyxiated to death from the generator’s smoke. There are no external injuries on their bodies,” said a senior police officer.
On Wednesday morning, Selvaraj’s wife knocked on the door several times but received no response. When she peeked through a window, she saw the three lying unconscious and frothing at the mouth.
She immediately alerted the police, who broke open the door and rushed them to Government Stanley Hospital, where doctors declared them dead. The bodies were later sent for postmortem.