Mumbai, April 30: A 14-year-old student of Janaki Devi School in Versova committed suicide at his Andheri residence on Thursday. Police said Shams Merchant was depressed after failing in Class 7 for the second consecutive year. Merchant lived with his mother, Zeba, and his maternal grandmother in Al-Quba building at Millat Nagar, Andheri West.
The Oshiwara police said the incident occurred at 1 pm when Merchant was at home with his maternal grandmother while Zeba had gone to his school to attend the open house meeting and collect his results. Shams came to his fourth floor apartment after playing and told his grand mother he was hungry and asked her to get him some food.
When she went to the kitchen, Shams hanged himself with a nylon rope from the ceiling fan in his bedroom. When Zeba, who is a working professional, returned home in the afternoon and enquired with the grandmother about Shams, she told Zeba that the boy had been in his room all day. “When the mother and grandmother went in to talk to him, they discovered him hanging,” a police officer said requesting anonymity. Neighbours helped the family rush Shams to hospital and informed the police.
The police have registered a case of accidental death. “We are investigating the case,” Gupta said. The victim’s family refused to speak to journalists.
—Agencies