KOLLAM: A senior advocate, Srinivasa Pillai, 80, allegedly hacked his son to death before dying by suicide at their home in Kadappakkada on Saturday.
Vishnu S Pillai, 46, was found hacked to death in the hall, while Srinivasa Pillai was found hanging inside the bedroom. The family consisted of Srinivasa Pillai, his wife, and their son Vishnu.
Vishnu’s mother, who had been staying at her daughter’s house in Thiruvananthapuram for the past two days, returned on Saturday morning to find the house locked from the inside. Later, the Police arrived at the spot and opened the door and recovered the bodies during the subsequent search.
Police said Vishnu had been undergoing treatment for a minor mental illness. "Preliminary findings suggest the incident may have occurred due to mental pressure from the son. However, further investigation is needed to ascertain the exact cause," said a police source.
According to locals, Vishnu had been dealing with mental health issues for some time. Srinivasa Pillai, who had not practised law for the past 10 years, had put up multiple signboards outside the house advertising tuition centres, construction companies, and hotel services. However, local representatives say these were not real businesses.
"None of these are actual institutions. The father put up these boards only to make his son happy. Vishnu was suffering from mental health issues for a long time. Several hoardings offering courses and tax consultancy services were placed in front of the house at Vishnu's insistence, though none of these services were operational. He had even physically assaulted his parents on multiple occasions," said Kripa Vinod, ward councillor of Kadappakkada.
Neighbours also said Vishnu had been married twice, with both marriages ending in legal separation. Councillor Kripa Vinod added that Vishnu had once jumped from the top of the house and broken his leg, later speaking about the incident with pride to visitors.
The Kadappakkada police have registered a case of unnatural death and launched an investigation.