Suicide pact: Dad, girl die; mom in hosp

CHENNAI: In a suspected case of a family suicide pact, a 60-year-old man and his daughter died in Saligramam while his wife is under treatment after they consumed poison late on Thursday night.

The matter came to light after the daughter informed her friend late in the night by text message that she and her parents consumed poison. Shocked by this, her friends rushed to their house and took all three to a hospital. However, the man, Gangadharan, and daughter, Janapriya (20) died while the woman, Charumathi (57), is undergoing treatment. Her condition is stable, said officials.

Police suspect that the family could have taken the extreme steps due to mounting debts possibly running to several lakhs.

According to officials, Gangadharan was a Siddha medicine supplier who also treated bone fractures, while his wife was a superintendent in the State Highway Department. Janapriya had completed Class 12, said police.

The Virugambakkam police recovered the two bodies and sent them for postmortem examination to Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital. A case has been registered and an investigation is on. Preliminary investigations revealed that the family was under a debt of about Rs 30 lakhs, said officials, adding that the investigators suspect that it could have led them to take the decision.