The deceased, identified as Viswanathan from Dharmapuri, was staying in a rented house at Thanduma Nagar near St Thomas Mount. Viswanathan had been married for about one-and-a-half years, and his wife had delivered a baby boy around 20 days ago. He had recently availed leave to visit his family and returned to duty in Chennai three days ago.

The police said Viswanathan's wife tried contacting him on Friday night and again early Saturday morning, but he did not answer his phone. Following that, she informed his colleagues, who went to his house. After receiving no response, they broke open the door and found him dead.

St Thomas Mount police recovered the body and sent it to the Government District Headquarters Hospital in Tambaram for post-mortem examination. A case has been registered, and an investigation is under way.

During the preliminary inquiry, the police found that Viswanathan had been involved in online gambling and had incurred heavy debts after repeated losses. They suspect financial distress may have driven him to take the extreme step. However, police said the exact reason for his death is yet to be established, and all possible angles are being examined as part of the ongoing investigation.