An anaesthetist of the Thiruvananthapuram General Hospital was found dead in the Amayizhanjan canal on Saturday.
The deceased was identified as Vipin Gopal, who hailed from Muttada. He was a doctor of the Anaesthesia department in the hospital. The body was fished out from the canal at Nellikuzhy, near Kannammoola, around 2.30 p.m., a short while after his car was found abandoned nearby with one of its doors left open.
The police recovered a syringe and medicines from the car. Strengthening the possibility of suicide, the investigation team suspected the doctor to have injected himself with sedatives before taking the extreme step. However, the cause of death is yet to be ascertained, an official said.
The doctor, who had not reported for work for the last few days, is believed to have been undergoing treatment for depression.
The body has been shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Government Medical College Hospital for post-mortem examination.
(Suicide prevention helpline: DISHA – 1056, 0471-2552056)
