Chennai: A Gujarat cadre IAS officer’s estranged wife, who died by suicide after consuming poison on Saturday, July 21 has left behind a note to the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu, MK Stalin, narrating her “ordeal and anguish” on being “falsely accused” in two cases in the southern state, police said on Tuesday, July 23.
Suriya (45) allegedly consumed poison in a garden across the street from her husband Ranjeeth Kumar J's official apartment. Kumar is currently employed as the Secretary of the Gujarat Electricity Regulation Commission (GERC). She passed away that morning at the Gandhinagar Civil Hospital on the morning of July 21.
Kumar was not at home when Suriya, who had left him eight months ago, returned on July 21 but was stopped by the security personnel from entering the house, police said.
She disclosed in the letter that she was allegedly trapped by a person named "Raja," which in turn got her involved in the two criminal cases: one involving the kidnapping of a boy and the other involving loan recovery.
Suriya went on to characterise her husband as a kind man who looked after their kids while she was away. Police said that she sought to proclaim her innocence in the two cases in the letter written in Tamil.
Police said that although the case “appears to be a case of suicide” and an Accidental Death report was filed at Gandhinagar Sector-21 police station, the police is ascertaining if Suriya had arrived with the poison in preparation to take away her life.
The letter stated that Suriya and Raja, a murder convict, wanted to start a business but everything fell through when Raja was taken into custody by the police for violating his parole.
"Suriya was made an accused for allegedly giving shelter to a murder convict. To cover up the losses in business and meet legal expenses, she sold her property to a woman named Lakshmi. She then moved to Bengaluru and enrolled in a course to become a chef," said Gandhinagar Superintendent of Police (SP) Ravi Teja Vasamsetty.
Lakshmi declined Suriya's request for assistance in covering the course fees, asking her to sell her remaining land instead. "Two weeks ago, an FIR was filed against Suriya and four to five other people for allegedly kidnapping Lakshmi's son in Madurai. Suriya noted in the letter that she was wrongfully accused in both cases," Vasamsetty said.
"Police was chasing her as she attempted to flee, the SP said. "She wrote in the letter that she had returned to Gandhinagar in the hopes of being reunited with her husband," he added.
Who is Ranjeeth Kumar? A 2005-batch IAS officer of the Gujarat cadre, he had left his job in an automobile parts manufacturing company in Chennai to join the civil services. He has held several positions, including Deputy Collector in Tamil Nadu, District Development Officer in Bhavnagar District, Joint MD of Gujarat Industrial Chemicals Co Pvt Ltd, and Director of the Gujarat Infrastructure Development Board (GIDB).
DISCLAIMER:Suicide is not a solution: If you are having suicidal thoughts or are worried about a friend or need emotional support, someone is always there to listen. Call Sneha Foundation - 04424640050 (available 24x7) or iCall, the Tata Institute of Social Sciences helpline - 9152987821 (available Monday to Saturday from 8 am to 10 pm).
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