Visakhapatnam: A Non Resident Indian (NRI) and his advocate mother allegedly committed suicide by setting themselves ablaze at their apartment in Golalapalem area in the city today, police said.
The exact reason behind the extreme step taken by K Phani Mahesh (42), a NRI software engineer and his mother K Bhagyalakshmi (65) is not yet known, police said.
Bhagyalakshmi has been living alone in her flat after separating from her husband around two decades ago. Mahesh, is a software engineer in Dallas in US and had come to Vizag about a week ago and was to return this evening, police said.
The residents of the apartment noticed smoke coming out of Bhagyalakshmi s flat. Suspecting that it was a result of some fire in the flat, the neighbours immediately called police and fire service personnel.
When the police and firemen broke open the door, they found Bhagyalakshmi’s burnt body in the main hall and that of Phani in the puja room of the flat.
“It is too early to say what could have driven them to end their lives,” said DCP (Law and Order) Navin Gulati.
Mahesh and his sister are settled in the US and his wife is pregnant, informed police.
“There are no clues of any gas leakage and short circuit in the flat. We have found kerosene tins. We have not recovered any suicide note from the house,” said police.