Mass suicide: Indian doctor incurred over Rs50 million loss in diagnostic scan business

Chennai police investigating the death of a doctor, his wife and two sons have revealed that he had incurred losses to the tune of Rs5 crore (Rs50 million) in his diagnostic scan business.

It may be recalled that the prominent doctor, his lawyer wife and their two sons were found hanging from the ceiling of their home in Anna Nagar West, Chennai, on Thursday morning.

According to police reports, the deceased have been identified as Dr Balamurugan, his wife Sumathi, and their two children, Dasvanth (17) and Lingesh (15).

Initial investigations suggest that financial distress may have driven them to take their own lives.

Dr Balamurugan, who owned a diagnostic scan centre, had reportedly suffered heavy financial losses, leading to significant debts.

His wife, Sumathi, was a practicing lawyer in the city court.

Their elder son, Dasvanth, was preparing for his Class XII Board exams, while the younger son, Lingesh, was studying in Class X.

The tragic discovery was made on Thursday morning when their driver arrived at their residence.

After receiving no response from the family, he alerted the neighbours. When they peered through the windows, they saw the family members hanging.

Dr Balamurugan and Sumathi were found in one room, while their sons were in another.

Upon receiving the information, the city police rushed to the scene and recovered the bodies.

The remains were later sent to Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Suicide remains a major public health issue in India. Data from 2022-23 show that Maharashtra recorded the highest number of suicides in the country (22,746), followed by Tamil Nadu (19,834) and Madhya Pradesh (15,386).

Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Karnataka, and West Bengal together accounted for nearly half of the total suicides reported nationwide.

Meanwhile, Nagaland recorded the lowest number, with only 41 cases.

Psychologist and social worker Dr Suchitra V. Menon, speaking to IANS, emphasised the importance of mental health awareness.

"Many individuals who take their own lives keep their struggles to themselves. If they had shared their problems with friends or family, solutions might have been found.

"More awareness is needed to help people understand that suicide is not the answer,” she said. She also highlighted that Tamil Nadu remains among the top four states with the highest suicide rates and called for more awareness campaigns to address the issue.

Indo-Asian News Service