A 22-year-old man ended his life after he attempted to set fire to the family of a girl whom he claimed he loved, near her house in Valasaravakkam in the early hours on Saturday.
The deceased has been identified as G Jeevanandam, 22, a graduate in agricultural science and a native of Ariyalur. The girl, aged 21, is a final year student of the same course. Last year, they met at a cultural event in Gujarat and became friends. Jeevanandam visited her house whenever he came to the city.
He came to her house a few days ago and continued to stay without any plan of leaving. On Friday night, when the girl’s parents asked him to vacate, he told them that he would leave the next morning. He later told them that she should not marry anyone else and added that he would also remain single.
At 3.15 a.m., he woke up and pulled out a gas cylinder from the kitchen to the hall and attempted to kill them by opening it and setting it on fire. The girl and her parents came out from their bedroom on hearing a noise and had a scuffle with him. They finally pushed him out of the house and locked the door. The girl and her mother had minor burns on the head, the police said.
The family contacted the city police control room for assistance. Before the arrival of police personnel to the spot, Jeevandham inflicted injury on himself and was lying unconscious near the house. He was sent to Government Kilpauk Medical College Hospital, where the doctors declared him brought dead.
Those with suicidal tendency can contact the State’s health helpline 104 or Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050 for counselling.