A second year MBBS student of a private medical college in Salem allegedly committed self-immolation in the hostel after he faced charges of stealing a high-end mobile phone of a college-mate, police said on Friday.
Goutham, hailing from Kancheepuram, doused his body with petrol and set
himself afire in the bathroom of the hostel last night, they said.
According to Police, Sherin lost his mobile phone worth Rs. 32,000 on December 14 in the hostel. As the phone was equipped with a tracking sytem, the Sherin and his friends traced it to a person in Cuddalore who told them he bought it from a shop here.
During enquiries with the shop in Salem, the students found the picture of Goutham in the CCTV video at the shop.
When they confronted him in this hostel on Thursday and threatened to lodge a complaint with police, he took the extreme step of ending his life, Attyampatty Police Inspector Gunasekaran said.