P. Ramkumar, the accused in the brutal murder of a woman techie at a suburban railway station in Chennai in June, committed suicide on Sunday at the Puzhal prison where he has been lodged.
Sources said Ramkumar, who allegedly climbed up and bit a live electricity wire in the high security prison, was rushed to the Royapettah government hospital where he was declared brought dead.
The autopsy will be conducted on monday in the presence of the judicial magistrate.
According to reports, Ramkumar's lawyer Ramraj blamed the judiciary for his death. "I spoke to him for an hour even yesterday. He did not show signs of suicidal tendencies and was in a healthy state of mind. The prison officials are responsible for his death," Ramraj was quoted as saying by TV channels. Ramkumar was to be produced before a judicial magistrate court on Monday as his judicial custody comes to an end.
VCK leader Thol. Thirumavalavan demanded a CBI enquiry into the incident. “The Tamil Nadu Government has to take the responsibility and should clarify the suspicion behind Ramkumar's death," he said.
This was the second attempt of the 22-year-old to kill himself after being identified as the accused in the sensational case. He had earlier tried to end his life by slitting his throat when the police came to capture him in Tirunelveli near Kanyakumari.
In the shocking incident which sparked off a debate on the issue of stalking, Swathi, a 24-year-old woman employee of Infosys, was hacked to death allegedly by Ramkumar on June 24 at the Nungambakkam railway station.
The incident took place when Swathi, a resident of Choolaimedu near the station, was waiting to board a train to reach her office as per her routine.
The accused was arrested a week after from Tirunelveli after Chennai police launched a massive manhunt.
According to the police, Ramkumar had arrived in Chennai on April 3 looking for a job and had been stalking the victim for more than two months. He allegedly hacked her to death after she rejected his advances.
The case has seen many twists and turns with Ramkumar first denying the crime and later confessing to it. “I've made a huge mistake. I shouldn't have killed her. I loved her so much . . .” he reportedly told police during the interrogation.
The Chennai police claimed that they had gathered all the necessary evidences required to prove Ramkumar's guilt.
