A 62-year-old former Indian Foreign Services (IFS) officer allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself at his residence in South Delhi's Shanti Niketan area here this afternoon, police said.
The deceased, identified as Rakesh Shankar, was a 1979 batch officer and had taken voluntary retirement four years ago. His last posting before his retirement was to the United Arab Emirates (UAE).
The incident came to light when Shankar's son, who lived with him, called the police at 3:40 PM saying that his father has shot himself dead.
"A police team rushed to the spot and found Shankar's body lying in a pool of blood in his bedroom. He had shot himself by putting the revolver on the right side of the temple. The bullet pierced his head and exited from the other side, killing him almost instantly. A forensic team and a ballistic team were called to lift the circumstantial evidence," said a police official.
Police recovered his .32 bore licensed revolver from the spot which was apparently used by him to commit suicide.
His son told police that he had been sick for the last two months. He was admitted to Fortis Hospital two days ago after he complained of dehydration-related issues. He had returned from the hospital this morning.
"His family and friends have told us that he had not been showing any signs of depression of late despite being ill. He had taken voluntarily retirement from the IFS four years back and had been delivering guest lectures at prominent national and international universities and writing books. He was also associated with the Galgotia University where he held a senior position," said a police official.
Although it seems to be a case of suicide but police are investigating the case from all angles.
