Railway staff were in for a rude shock when they found a man hanging in a bathroom of Chennai Egmore – Tiruchendur Express (16735) at Egmore railway station around 12.30 p.m. They were summoned by passengers who had grown suspicious when the door of the bathroom remained bolted from inside for a long time.
The man, believed to be in his 70s, is suspected to have committed suicide.
The train, which had come from Mannarkudi, was to leave for Tiruchendur from Egmore.
The railway staff broke open the door to find an elderly man clad in a saffron dhoti and parrot-green shirt hanging from a pipe fixed close to the ceiling.
His legs were touching the floor. “We suspect he was a beggar. He did not have a bag or a ticket,” said a Government Railway Police (GRP) officer at Chennai Egmore station. “However, he did not appear famished and his clothes were clean,” the officer added.
“There were no signs of injuries on the body, so we cannot suspect murder. However, we have not ruled out the possibility,” said a GRP officer.
The police have recovered fingerprints from the compartment and have sent the body to Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital for post-mortem examination.
“In an effort to have him identified, posters carrying his photo will be circulated. Ascertaining his identity is crucial to solving the case,” the officer said.
