Chided for spending doles, youth kills self

CHENNAI: A college student allegedly died by suicide at his house in Maduravoyal on Sunday after his father upbraided him for spending part of the Rs 2,500 Pongal gift from the government on his friends. The deceased was a final-year undergraduate student of a private college in Thandalam.

Recently, Selvan’s parents sent him to get the gift hamper from a ration shop. However, the police said he allegedly spent Rs 2,000 of the Rs 2,500 cash. Quoting his father, a daily wage labourer, an officer of the Maduravoyal police said the youth had earlier stolen and mortgaged a 1.5-sovereign-gold chain and spent the money on his friends. When he repeated the act, the father scolded him and threatened to inform his mother, who had gone out for work. In the evening, when only his grandmother was home, the youth allegedly jumped into a well in the house. 

On hearing the sound, the elderly woman saw her grandson in the water and raised an alarm, after which the neighbours tried to rescue him and called the fire department. By the time the fire services personnel reached, the boy had drowned, the police said. His body was sent to the Kilpauk Medical College Hospital for postmortem. A case has been registered and an investigation is on. If in distress or having suicidal thoughts, call 104 for health department’s helpline that offers counselling or 044-24640050 for Sneha suicide helpline.