Man Poisons 8-Year-Old Daughter Before Killing Self; Suicide Note Found

A man in India murdered his 8-year-old daughter before killing himself. Media reports said Sunday the man was depressed after being separated from his wife.

The relationship between Ravichandran, 47, from the southern state of Tamil Nadu, and his wife had allegedly deteriorated after he lost his job during the COVID-19 lockdown in the country, DT Next reported.

On Friday, Ravichandran and his daughter had checked into a hotel, and remained locked up there, following which the hotel staff alerted the police Saturday afternoon. Officers arrived at the scene and entered the room using a duplicate key provided by the hotel staff.

Ravichandran was found hanging from the ceiling while his daughter, Deekshitha, was found lying unconscious, foaming from the mouth, DT Next reported. A suicide note was found near the television, which stated Ravichandran ended his life along with his daughter, and nobody was responsible for their decision.

The bodies of both the victims were sent for an autopsy to Chengalpattu government hospital and Ravichandran's phone and poison bottle were retrieved from the room.

Preliminary investigation revealed Ravichandran messaged his relative about his decision on WhatsApp. His relatives reportedly said the man was facing huge financial issues, which led to frequent fights with his wife. When his wife moved out of the house, he pleaded with her several times to move back. However, she allegedly refused to settle their differences.

Ravichandran was frustrated over the problems, and decided to end his life along with his daughter’s, The Times of India reported.

The police said an investigation was currently underway into the incident.

Last week, a 13-year-old boy killed himself after his parents stopped him from playing games on his mobile phone. The incident took place in the eastern state of Odisha. The boy had got the mobile phone to attend online classes. However, he got addicted to playing games on the phone and did not pay attention to his classes. When his parents took his mobile phone from him, the boy got angry and locked himself inside a room. He was later found dead inside the room.

If you have thoughts of suicide, confidential help is available for free at the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline. Call 1-800-273-8255. The line is available 24 hours, every day.