A life convict was found dead inside a washroom in a prisoners’ block, at the Central Prison, Puzhal in Chennai, in the early hours of Tuesday, October 3, 2023.
The deceased has been identified as Gaja alias Gajendran, 63 who was was arrested by the Maraimalai Nagar Police in 2007 for the murder of his first wife. He was subsequently convicted and sentenced to life imprisonment after a trial in 2009. He had been in prison since then, with his plea for premature release rejected by the authorities on the grounds that he had also murdered his second wife. The Madras High Court had also declined to grant him relief.
Early on Tuesday, Gajendran was found dead in the toilet near his cell. Prison staff found him and alerted higher officials as well as the police. The police recovered the body and conducted an investigation after registering a case of unnatural death under section 174 of the Criminal Procedure Code.
The police suspect that Gajendran ended his life.
(Assistance for overcoming suicidal thoughts is available on the State’s health helpline 104, Tele-MANAS 14416. and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050.)
