Hyderabad: A man who used to trade in printer cartridges reportedly set himself ablaze near the Bhongir-Nalgonda highway on Saturday after pouring 20 litres of fuel on himself. He died on Sunday morning, while undergoing treatment.
The victim was identified as S. Gautham, 43, of Kacheguda. On Saturday evening, at about 6 pm, the Bhongir (Rural) police received information about a fire incident at an open place located on the Bhongir-Nalgonda road.
When police reached the spot, they found Gautham with 90 per cent burns. A bike was parked nearby and the key was kept under the seat. His phone was kept in flight mode in the dickey of the two-wheeler.
Gautham was rushed to the Bhongir area hospital for treatment, where he succumbed to his injuries.
Initial reports suggested that it may be a case of murder as Gautham had been accompanied by his friend Vikram. It was later found that Gautham had committed suicide.
The police found that Gautham had called his wife over phone at 1 pm on Saturday, informing her that he would be home in another 15 minutes. Instead, he went to a toddy shop, consumed toddy and set himself on fire.
Bhongir (Rural) circle inspector Y. Surendar Reddy said, “Gautham told his wife that he was accompanied by his friend Vikram. In fact, he did not have any friend by that name. We checked footage from several CCTV cameras. In the footage Gautham was seen purchasing 20 petrol from a bunk on the way to Bhongir. He travelled alone and set himself ablaze.”
Responding to a query, the inspector said, “His family members said Gautham was suffering from depression for a few days and had not slept properly in the last four days. He was reportedly in a financial crisis.”
