TIRUCHY: In a case of suspected death by suicide, a Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) general manager was found dead inside his office on Wednesday around 1 am with a gunshot wound to his head.
M Shanmugam (50), who was transferred from Noida and posted as general manager of the Seamless Steel Tubes Plant (SSTP) of BHEL-Tiruchy in August, was found slumped on a sofa inside his office with a pistol in his hand.
The BHEL security team which had to break into his office found his body first after their repeated calls to him went unanswered in the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.
Tiruchy Superintendent of Police S Selvanagarathinam told TNIE that a case under Section 194 of BNS (suspected suicide) was registered and as per preliminary inquiry, no one in the vicinity had heard the gunshot. Police are probing the cause of death. No suicide letter was found at the spot.
Sources said Shanmugam reported for duty as usual on Tuesday at 8.30 am. As GMs are permitted to work late and stay in their offices, his family did not suspect anything unusual when he did not return from office on time.
GM may have procured pistol illegally while working in Noida
However, when his wife was unable to reach him by phone late on Tuesday, she alerted the BHEL security team. When security personnel checked his office later that night, they found his lifeless body with gunshot wound.
Sources say BHEL’s security team consists of ex-servicemen, supported by a private security agency. While regular employees undergo strict security checks, including body scanning with metal detectors, and are not allowed to bring personal vehicles inside the premises, GMs are exempted from such checks. Officials believe Shanmugam may have taken advantage of this exemption to bring the firearm into the campus.
Preliminary investigations suggest that he may have illegally procured the pistol when he was working in Noida. Sources indicate that he was a member of a shooting club in Delhi during his stint there. Police are also probing the possibility of the gun being procured by him locally and how he managed to bring the weapon inside the campus.
Forensic teams have scoured the place for evidence, and his body was sent to Thuvakudi Government Hospital for a postmortem examination.
Shanmugam had been with BHEL for over 25 years and was one of the youngest GMs of the company, overseeing more than 300 employees. He had been undergoing treatment for cardiovascular issues and was on regular medication, BHEL officials said.
(Anyone distressed can call the Tele MANAS tollfree mental health helpline number 14416 or 1-800-891-4416. Sneha, Chennai: 91-44-2464 0050)