A tragic incident unfolded in Mumbai's Worli area, where a man allegedly killed his elderly mother before attempting to end his own life due to severe financial distress. Four suicide notes were reportedly discovered at the scene, where he cited the financial difficulties and resulting mental strain he had been enduring.
On October 26, around 11 a.m., in the Gandhi Nagar area of Worli, Lalita Sambhandham, 74, was found lying in a pool of blood in her rented apartment on the second floor of Shivakalp Building No. 5. Upon receiving the information, police arrived promptly and transported her to Nair Hospital, where she was declared dead before admission. Meanwhile, her son, who was found injured and bloodied, was taken by relatives and neighbors to Wockhardt Hospital for medical treatment.
The identification of the man who killed his mother and later committed suicide | Image accessed by FPJ
The mother's identification | Image accessed by FPJ
According to police sources, the room’s owner, Devdas Sakpal, had rented the apartment to 53-year-old Balsanmugham Kuppuswami two years ago for his mother. While Lalita resided there, Balsanmugham lived separately in Darbhanga Bhavan, Malabar Hill, near Jaslok Hospital, with his wife and 24-year-old daughter. His wife is employed as a Class 2 officer in the Service Tax Department.
Balsanmugham, previously a manager at a private company, lost his job in April. Having taken a personal loan of Rs 36 lakh, he struggled to keep up with the EMI payments, leading to immense stress. As per police accounts, he frequently visited his mother at her apartment and had been living separately from his wife due to conflicts between his wife and mother. Financial pressures left him overwhelmed, and he eventually suggested to his mother that they end their lives together, said police sources.
During the investigation, Worli police recovered four separate suicide notes, each addressed to different individuals—his wife, his daughter, the Worli police, and the apartment owner. In these notes, he expressed his struggles with depression and mentioned that, given his mother's age and their shared hardships, they had both decided on suicide. He explicitly wrote that no one else was responsible for their deaths. Consequently, the police have registered a case of murder against Balsanmugham under Section 103(1) of the BNS Act at Worli Police Station. He is currently undergoing medical treatment at Wockhardt Hospital.
On the night of October 25, Balsanmugham informed his wife that he would be visiting his mother. He had previously shared thoughts of suicide with her. After arriving at his mother’s residence, he reportedly asked her to cover her face with a napkin and then suffocated her with a pillow. Following this, he attempted suicide by inflicting multiple cuts on his arms and neck. When his wife, unable to reach him by phone throughout the night, arrived at the Worli apartment the next morning, she discovered the incident and notified the police, who responded immediately.
The case remains under investigation as authorities delve further into the circumstances leading up to this tragic event.
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