Elderly man dead, wife critical after suicide bid

An elderly man lost his life and his wife is in critical condition after the couple allegedly tried to commit suicide in a state government-run lodge in the district, police said on Saturday.

Parag Pal Chowdhury (70) and his wife Tapasi (61) were found in an unconscious state inside a room of the lodge in Gadiara village under Shyampur police station on Friday, they said.

The staff of the lodge called the police after the couple missed their check-out time and did not open the door despite persistent knocking, an officer said.

Chowdhury was taken to a nearby hospital where he was declared brought dead, while his wife's condition is stated to be critical, he said.

"Initial investigation revealed that their only son, who lived in Australia, died of cancer in 2016. Since then, the couple went into depression. On Friday, they tried to commit suicide by consuming an overdose of sleeping pills," the police officer said.

Chowdhury's body has been sent for post-mortem examination, police said.