Hyderabad: IIITian, Mahesh Babu fan, ends life

Hyderabad: A fourth-year CSD student of the International Institute of Information Technology (IIIT) Hyderabad, who watched Tollywood superstar Mahesh Babu's films to combat depression, allegedly committed suicide on Thursday. 

Identified as Puli Sunandh Kumar Reddy of Guntur district, he hanged himself with a bed sheet in his room at the campus hostel, said Gachibowli police.

Sunandh left a suicide note for his parents, in which he stated his dislike of the behaviour of his paternal relatives who, he said, were “using” his family in times of need. 

He also wrote that he was a fan of Mahesh Babu and had watched all his films in a futile attempt to combat stress. While the walls in Sunandh's room are covered with posters of Mahesh Babu, police also found sticky notes which read, “I don't want to live”. 

Sunandh's friends and IIIT faculty members said he was doing well academically and never showed any sign of depression. According to police, Sunandh attended classes on Tuesday, but did not come out of his room on Thursday. 

As he had to appear for an examination at 3.00 p.m., his friend Nama Sai Sahith called him on his mobile, but there was no response. Sahith then alerted another friend, Rohith, who went to Sunandh's room and found it locked.

Breaking in with the help of security personnel, he found Sunandh hanging from the ceiling.

Police have registered a case of suspicious death. “All angles are being probed. His mobile phone and call data records will be analysed,” said SI Ch. Venkatesh of Gachi-bowli police.