Three of family end lives near Coimbatore

Three members of a family ended their lives near Periyanaickenpalayam in Coimbatore district on Sunday. The deceased were identified as B. Kamalesh (42), his wife C. Ilakkiya (38) and their daughter Ekshitha Angel (10) of Thambu Nagar near Periyanaickenpalayam.

According to the police, Kamalesh had been working as a junior engineer (grade-II) with the Tamil Nadu Power Distribution Corporation Limited (TNPDCL). His wife, who worked as a staff nurse in a hospital in the city, had been undergoing treatment for cancer.

Kamalesh, in a video he recorded and shared with his friends and family members, stated that the family was taking the extreme step as there was no improvement in the treatment undergone by his wife for the past one year. He wanted the last rites of the family to be held at a CSI church cemetery, for which he had already given ₹50,000 to the church administration as cemetery maintenance charge. He stated that over ₹10 lakh of his fixed deposit was for the CSI Church and wanted the Tamil Nadu government to use the benefits from his service with TNPDCL for the poor.

The three persons were found dead in their residence when people rushed to the house after watching the video. The Periyanaickenplayam police shifted the bodies to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital for post-mortem. A case has been registered in connection with the suicides.

(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050).