KOLKATA: A 54-year-old realtor from Pallysree area of Lake Town reportedly ended his life by jumping off the Garia-bound flank of Maa flyover around 6.15am on Sunday. Pranab Kundu, a morning walker and an animal lover, was last spotted leaving his home on his two-wheeler at 4.35am as per his usual routine, according to his neighbours.
Cops suspect that the man might have been grappling with a severe financial stress due to the pandemic, which prompted him to kill himself. However, cops have not ruled out the possibility of some personal tension behind his suicide. His two-wheeler was found parked on the flyover. “We found the victim lying unconscious on the service Road close to the main entry gate of Milan Mela under the Maa flyover. We rushed him to the NRS Hospital where he was declared brought dead. His bike was found parked on the Maa Flyover near the Garia down ramp. A pair of slippers and a helmet belonging to the victim were also found beside the bike. We identified the victim with the help of the documents that he was carrying with him,” said DC (East) Gaurav Lal. Cops said that they would wait for the post-mortem report to ascertain the cause behind his death as the spot of the flyover, from where he jumped, did not have any CCTV coverage. Since 2019, this was for the second time that a man jumped off the flyover. So far, this was the third suicide from the flyover, according to the police.
Kundu is survived by his wife and son, an engineer. Cops will speak to his family members while the inquest proceedings have been initiated. Kundu, the youngest of his three brothers, was also an engineer.
“He had been associated with realty business and ran his office from his ancestral house where his extended families live. There was no CCTV coverage of the area from where Kundu jumped. This is the second time that a person reportedly jumped from this part of Maa flyover since 2019 and the third such suicide overall on the flyover. The police said they will speak to the family even as inquest proceedings have been initiated. He stayed at a five-storey building where all the flats are shared by his relatives,” said a relative.
The family had settled in the area six decades ago when Kundu’s grandfather had built the house. Kundu, who fed stray dogs around Salt Lake and Lake Town, was respected in the area. The elder brother of the victim said they were not aware about Kundu’s financial problems.
“He was perfectly normal even on Saturday. He spoke less and had an extremely selective group of friends,” he told TOI. His another brother is settled in Pune.
Dipak Dey, a neighbour, said, “He used to go towards the Salt Lake side for morning walk. After coming back, he used to go to the local market and chat with some friends and feed the strays. On Sunday, we saw him leaving the house.”
