Chennai: A 27-year-old police constable was found hanging wearing his service uniform at his accommodation in the city here in a suspected case of suicide, officials said.
Arun Kumar, a native of Virudhunagar district, was a constable in the mounted police branch in Ayanavaram in the city. He has left behind a suicide letter pointing to family issues, police said.
Speaking to PTI, a police officer said: “Arun Kumar hanged to death due to family issues. He has written a letter in which he mentioned his family issues. Further details can’t be disclosed as this is an ongoing investigation.” The constable’s death comes days after a Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG), C Vijayakumar, allegedly shot himself, in another suspected case of suicide. The IPS officer was said to be suffering from “depression” for which he was taking medical treatment over the past few years.
Constable Arun Kumar, who joined service in 2022, was staying in a room in Ayanavaram.
According to police, Arun Kumar’s roommate Pushparaj left the place around 11.30 am. When he returned to the room, he was shocked to see Arun Kumar hanging lifeless wearing his service uniform. He immediately informed Ayanavaram police station.
Police arrived at the spot, recovered the body and sent it to a government hospital for conducting a post-mortem examination.
On condition of anonymity, a friend of Arun Kumar told PTI that the constable was frustrated at not being granted leave after getting married three months ago.
Arun Kumar was married to an armed reserve police official who is posted in Tirunelveli district.
“He got married three months ago and he was given 10 days leave for his wedding. While talking on the phone a few days ago, he told me that he has not been granted any holidays after that in the past three months,” Arun Kumar’s friend said, adding that the constable’s work pressure was relatively less compared to other forces as he was working in a mounted police branch.
PTI