JOIN USBotched suicide bid guts house
Sundar Murthy, 60, who turned an LPG cylinder valve on and put a match to old newspapers to set off a massive explosion, however, survived.
The intense fire, caused by the cylinder blast a little while after Murthy was rescued, partly blew up the roof of his house and cracked the walls, besides destroying household articles and other materials. No one was injured, police said.
The JJ Nagar police have arrested Murthy on the charges of negligence and attempt to suicide. Murthy said he took the extreme step unable to bear the insults and abuses heaped upon him by his wife and two children for being unemployed for the past few years.
According to police, Murthy was married to Karpakkamma and the couple had a daughter Shyamala and son Uday Kumar. Natives of Tamil Nadu, they lived in a three-storey residential building at Markandeshwarnagar.
Karpakkamma and Shyamala worked at a shop and Uday Kumar was employed with a private firm. Murthy had changed many jobs and was staying at home. This led to frequent quarrels between him and his family members.
On Tuesday, when his wife, son and daughter left for work, Murthy tried to kill himself by hanging from the ceiling fan at around noon. His attempt failed as the sari he used to commit suicide gave way, he told the police.
Then he collected old newspapers, set them on fire and partially turned the LPG cylinder valve on to cause an explosion. Soon, thick smoke engulfed the house and Murthy ran out. The neighbours who grew suspicious and went to the third floor and found him coughing heavily. Minutes after they brought him down, there was a huge explosion in the third floor, police said.
Local residents immediately informed the police and fire force personnel. Three fire tenders rushed to the spot and put out the fire. The explosion did not affect the houses in the first and second floors.