Debt-ridden scientist ends life

A debt-ridden scientist ended his life by consuming poison at a lodge in Mangalore while his wife and two children, who were part of the suicide pact, managed to survive.

Police said Vijay Singh, 45, who worked as a scientist with a private scientific laboratory in Bangalore, arrived in Mangalore three days ago and checked into a lodge on K S Rao road.

The family returned to the lodge at 10.30 pm on Thursday night after visiting various temples in Mangalore. “They came prepared with different bottles of ammonium cyanide, chloroform and methanol, which the police recovered from the room”, a police official said.

After Vijay Singh consumed the poison, his 40-year-old wife Sumathi, a teacher in a private school in Bangalore and their daughter Shruthi, a II PUC student, too followed suit. But, his 14-year-old son Shivamsha backed out of the pact at the last minute.

While Vijay Singh died, his wife and daughter were admitted to a private hospital in Mangalore and are undergoing treatment.

Shivamsha told police that his father first consumed poison and soon slipped into deep sleep. Later, his mother and sister too consumed the poison. “I could not consume the poison as the odour put me off”, Shivashma told the police.

Shivamsha, who was unable to see his mother and sister suffer, informed the lodge personnel, who in turn alerted the police. The police rushed Vijay Singh, Sumathi and Shruti to the hospital. Vijay Singh was declared dead on arrival while his wife and daughter are said to be out of danger.
Police investigations have revealed that Vijay Singh owed about Rs 4.7 million to various creditors, who were bringing pressure on him to return the amount