THOOTUKUDI: Two youth allegedly committed suicide by consuming pesticide at a secluded place near Kurumbur Railway Station here.
According to police, the deceased, V Thoosimuthu (18) and P Ajith Kumar (21) were cousin brothers. They were residents of Yogarathina Nagar in Kurumbur near Tiruchendur. Thoosimuthu was a painter in Coimbatore and Ajith Kumar was a coolie in Bengaluru. Both of them had returned to their native village due to the lockdown.
Sources said that the duo went missing on Sunday afternoon. Their family members launched a search only to find their bodies near the railway station in the wee hours on Monday.
It is said that the duo allegedly took the extreme step after Thoosimuthu's father, Velmurugan, had chided them for wandering in the streets without any reason on Sunday. The duo went to a secluded place near Kurumbur Railway Station and gulped liquor laced with poisonous pesticide, said sources.
The police suspected that they may have been homosexuals, and the social stigma associated with their sexual orientation may have made them take the extreme step.
Kurumbur police registered a case under Section 174 of CrPC, and sent the bodies to Government Tiruchendur Hospital. Further investigations are on.
If in distress or having suicidal thoughts, call 104 for health department’s helpline that offers counselling or 044-24640050 for Sneha suicide helpline.