70-year-old Covid-19 patient in Jabalpur dies by suicide, say police

The man was said to be depressed after he tested positive for Covid-19 last month.

A 70-year-old Covid-19 patient allegedly died by suicide on Monday in Jabalpur in Madhya Pradesh, police said.

Police said the man died by suicide a day before he was to undergo a second test for Covid-19. (Representative Photo/Getty Images)

The deceased was quarantined at home from September 20 after he tested positive for Covid-19 that day, said Rajesh Tiwari, Garha police station-in-charge.

“The man used to live with his son. On Sunday, his quarantine period was over and the doctor concerned asked his son to get him tested again to see if he tested negative for the virus. On Monday morning, his grandson went to his room to give him juice but he found his grandfather hanging from the ceiling,” Tiwari said.

The deceased’s son said his father was depressed after testing positive for Covid-19.

“My father was in a state of depression for the past 10 days. He was also tense when he came to know about the re-test for coronavirus but we didn’t know that he would take such a drastic step,” he said.

Police said the cremation took place as per Covid-19 protocol after a post-mortem.