In what is believed to be a murder-suicide case, the bodies of a 41-year-old man and his two children were found at their residence at Pattathanam in Kerala’s Kollam district on Friday, January 12. According to reports, the deceased Jose Pramod murdered his children Devanarayanan (9) and Devananda (4) before ending his own life.
It has also been reported that the man was living separately from his wife due to various family disputes and was unemployed for several years. The elder brother of Jose Pramod told media, “I received a text message at around 1:55 am on Friday from him stating that he will die by suicide. At around 6:15 am, Pramod’s mother-in-law told me he was not picking up calls and asked to check in on him. When I went to the house, the gate was locked and his father-in-law was standing outside. It was when we jumped the wall that we became aware of the deaths.”
He went on to say that his brother and wife were in love since their school days. According to the deceased man’s brother, the woman was staying at SNV Sadanam working women’s hostel as part of pursuing her Post Graduate degree. “Pramod was working in the Gulf. He could not return after marriage. His wife wanted to rent a house separately as she did not like residing in their ancestral house,” he added.
When TNM tried to contact Kollam East Police, they were at the scene of crime for an inquest. More details will be updated.
If you are aware of anyone facing mental health issues or feeling suicidal, please provide help. Here are some helpline numbers of suicide prevention organisations that can offer emotional support to individuals and families.
Tamil Nadu
State health department's suicide helpline: 104
Sneha Suicide Prevention Centre - 044-24640050 (listed as the sole suicide prevention helpline in Tamil Nadu)
Andhra Pradesh
Life Suicide Prevention: 78930 78930
Roshni: 9166202000, 9127848584
Karnataka
Sahai (24-hour): 080 65000111, 080 65000222
Kerala
Maithri: 0484 2540530
Chaithram: 0484 2361161
Both are 24-hour helpline numbers.
Telangana
State government's suicide prevention (tollfree): 104
Roshni: 040 66202000, 6620200
SEVA: 09441778290, 040 27504682 (between 9 am and 7 pm)
Aasara offers support to individuals and families during an emotional crisis, for those dealing with mental health issues and suicidal ideation, and to those undergoing trauma after the suicide of a loved one.
24x7 Helpline: 9820466726
Click here for working helplines across India.