It’s not unheard of for accused in high profile cases to attempt suicide or to kill themselves. One of the most prominent of such cases, is now Chennai techie Swathi’s murder accused Ramkumar. He died in Puzhal jail on Sunday allegedly after biting on a live wire, according to police sources.
Ramkumar was accused of killing Swathi in Chennai’s Nungambakkam station on June 24, after allegedly stalking her for weeks.
When police went to his house to arrest him in July in Meenakrshipuram in Thirunelveli district, Ramkumar had slit his throat with a sharp object. His father Paramasivan however, claimed that the police tried to kill Ramkumar.
Accused persons in several cases have either committed suicide or attempted it. Here are some instances:
Jyoti Singh rape and murder:
In March 2013, the main accused in Jyoti Singh’s rape and murder, was found dead in Tihar jail. He was found hanging inside jail number 3 in the early hours of March 13.
Called either Nirbhaya or the Delhi gang rape case victim, Jyoti Singh was gang raped and brutally murdered on December 16, 2012.
In August 2016, one of the convicts in the case, Vinay Sharma attempted suicide in Delhi’s Tihar jail. He first took pain killers and then tried to hang himself with a towel. He was admitted to a hospital and later declared out of danger.
Rohtak case
A 28-year-old mentally challenged woman of Nepalese origin was raped and murdered in February 2015. One of the accused in the case killed himself.
The woman’s body was found in the fields in Akbarpur village, Rohtak district on February 4, 2015. She had been living with her sister for three months while undergoing treatment at the PGIMS in Rohtak.
Sombir Kumar (22), who was the ninth accused in the case, worked at a factory in the village and killed himself by consuming a tablet. He was hiding in his relative’s house to avoid arrest.
Divyashree murder case:
Divyashree, a resident of Halahalli layout in Mandya, was allegedly murdered by her friend Anusha in April 2015. Police were investigating whether Anusha was a spurned lesbian unhappy that Divyashree that gotten married eight months ago. Anusha was arrested by the police and obtained bail. In December, she was found dead on the railway tracks in December 2015. She had jumped in front of a Bengaluru-Mysuru train.
Coimbatore minors’ rape case
52-year-old S Muthupalani, accused of raping two minor girls in Coimbatore, killed himself in February 2012 by consuming poison in Madurai.
According to the police, he had been booked for raping two girls, aged 10 and 12. Muthupalani worked as a cook in an eatery in Coimbatore and was booked under POCSO.