In an alleged suicide pact, a 40-year-old NRI, K. Phani Mahesh, a software engineer, along with his advocate-mother Kunchuboina Bhagyalakshmi (67), reportedly committed suicide by setting themselves on fire in their apartment at Golalapalem area in Visakhapatnam on Friday.
Police suspect that family disputes and a few other reasons might have compelled them to take the extreme step.
Sources said that Bhagyalakshmi has been living alone in her flat after separating from her husband K. Rama Rao two decades ago. Bhagyalakshmi’s son, Phani Mahesh, who is a software engineer in Dallas in the U.S., came to Vizag about a week ago and was to return on Friday evening. He even booked an autorickshaw to take him to the airport.
The residents of the apartment said that on Friday around 8 a.m., Phani asked the watchman of the apartment to bring a match box.
Smoke in apartment
Around 8.30 a.m., neighbours noticed smoke coming out of Bhagyalakshmi’s flat. Suspecting that the smoke was a result of a fire, neighbours immediately called the police and also fire service personnel.
When the police and fire service personnel came to the spot and broke open the door, Bhagyalakshmi’s burnt body was found in the main hall and Phani was found dead in the puja room of the house.
