Man consumes poison with wife, girlfriend at lodge

The deceased has been identified as Jegath Franklin. His wife Punitha Rani and girlfriend Saranya are unconscious at a hospital, the police said. His daughter Jecini is said to be out of danger.

They had been staying at a lodge on Mohammed Abdullah Street for more than a week, the police said. When they did not open the door despite repeated attempts by the staff, they opened the door with alternative keys and found them lying unconscious. They were rushed to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital, but Jegath died without responding to treatment on Monday morning.

Preliminary investigation revealed that Jegath, a hotel management graduate, married Punitha Rani. After the couple had a child, Jegath reportedly developed a relationship with Saranya and they eloped.

While they were brought back, Jegath and Saranya decided to run away again, but Punitha Rani came to know of their plan. “She also decided accompany them with their child as she did not want to face embarrassment in their hometown,” the police said.

After all of them moved to the city a week ago, Jegath reportedly tried for a job in Chennai but did not get one. On Sunday night, they fed the child aluminium phosphide (rat poison) before consuming it themselves.

The Triplicane police have registered a case and Jegath’s relatives have been informed of the incident. Further inquiry is on to ascertain why they took the extreme step.