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Mystery shrouds over Albert Antony's death

Reshma's husband, a native of Odisha, had abandoned her when she was pregnant with Albert.

ALAPPUZHA: Mystery surrounds the death of Albert Antony, class X student of Leo XIII Higher Secondary School here, who was found hanging in his house on July 21 last.

A suicide note found from his rented house at ward number 5 of Aryad panchayat said: "I want no longer to live with people who don't understand me." Albert, who had passed class IX with above B-plus marks in all subjects, was the second child of Reshma Rodrigues, whose elder son P.A. Vincent, 19, is a school dropout.

Reshma's husband, a native of Odisha, had abandoned her when she was pregnant with Albert. They had lived together in Odisha for five years. Later, when Albert was five-month-old, Reshma with her children came to Alappuzha. She lived in rented houses after accommodating her kids at different orphanages, including Thanal charitable home, Thumboly here, Mercy home, Chalakkudy, and St. Antony's orphanage run by the same management of Leo XIII School. At the time of Albert's death, Reshma was working at a shop, Saramas Chemicals, at Kaichoondy junction near here.

It is said that the boy ended his life after his mother scolded him for not attending the school. Her class teacher had telephoned her saying that he was absent and was wandering in the town.

Earlier, Albert and his classmate Jithu were suspended from the school on charges of picking up a fight with the English medium students. Though Jithu was readmitted after his father was summoned to the school, Albert did not tell his mother about the incident and did not attend the classes.

Albert was also expelled from St. Antony's orphanage after one of his roommates stole money from the orphanage chest and bought a mobile phone.

Reshma and her elder son are now living in a single-room house near Thalavady temple here.

Mr Abdul Khadar, Sub-Inspector, north police, who prepared the inquest, said that he had closed the file as the boy had hanged himself.

"We didn't probe why he refused to go to school, because nobody asked us about it," he said.

The police have not so far given the copy of the post-mortem report to the mother.

( Source : Deccan Chronicle. )
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