Chennai tragedy: Indian doctor, wife, two sons die by suicide after Rs50 million business loss

Chennai: In a shocking incident, a well-known doctor, his lawyer wife, and their two teenage sons were found dead in their home in Chennai’s Anna Nagar West on Thursday morning.

The victims — Dr. Balamurugan, his wife Sumathi, and their children, Dasvanth (17) and Lingesh (15) — were discovered hanging from the ceiling in separate rooms. Initial investigations suggest financial distress drove them to take this tragic step.

Dr. Balamurugan owned a diagnostic scan centre but had reportedly suffered massive financial losses, amounting to nearly ₹5 crore (Rs50 million).

Struggling with mounting debt, the burden became overwhelming. His wife, Sumathi, was a practicing lawyer in the city courts, while their elder son, Dasvanth, was preparing for his Class XII Board exams, and the younger, Lingesh, was in Class X.

The tragedy came to light when the family’s driver arrived at their home but received no response.

Alarmed, he alerted the neighbours, who, upon peering through the windows, saw the devastating scene inside.

Police were immediately called, and the bodies were sent to Kilpauk Medical College (KMC) Hospital for post-mortem examination.

A growing crisis

Suicide remains a major public health concern in India, with Tamil Nadu ranking among the states with the highest cases. Recent data (2022-23) reveals Maharashtra recorded the most suicides (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 all suicides reported nationwide. In contrast, Nagaland had the lowest number, with just 41 cases.

Psychologist and social worker Dr. Suchitra V. Menon emphasized the importance of recognizing mental health struggles before they reach a crisis point.

“Many individuals facing such distress keep their struggles to themselves. If they had shared their burdens with friends or family, alternative solutions might have been found,” she said.

She urged for greater awareness campaigns to help people realize that suicide is not the answer.