Kasaragod: A 65-year-old fish seller, booked for allegedly throwing a stone at a KSRTC bus, was found dead at his house in what police have described as a case of suspected suicide.

The deceased has been identified as Hameed Ali, a resident of Mannamkuzhi near Uppala, in the Mulinja ward of Mangalpady panchayat. He was found dead at his house on Wednesday morning, Manjeshwar police said.

He is survived by his wife Kamarunissa, two adult sons, Sulaiman and Mohammed Ali, and two daughters, Aneesa and Asma, who are married and live in Coimbatore. Hameed, who sold fish in Uppala town, was caught by members of the public on Monday night after he allegedly threw a stone at a Kerala State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) bus at Talapady on NH 66, at the Kasaragod-Dakshina Kannada border. The rear windshield of the Mangaluru-Kasaragod bus was shattered, said Assistant Transport Officer Priyesh Kumar. No one was injured.

Manjeshwar Station House Officer Ajith Kumar P said Hameed was under the influence of alcohol at the time. However, Illiyas Thuminadu, ward member from the border area of Thuminadu, said Hameed did not throw the stone because he was drunk, but out of frustration after KSRTC buses bound for Kasaragod repeatedly sped past without stopping at Talapady.

“It was around 9 pm. Three buses went past him without stopping. When the fourth bus also went past, he flung a stone in frustration,” said Illiyas. When he reached the spot that night, Illiyas said he found Hameed was frightened. He pleaded with the police and the assistant transport officer not to press charges.

“I also assured the police and the transport officer that I would raise money and compensate KSRTC for the loss. But the ATO did not relent and said an FIR would have to be registered,” he said. “I vouched for Hameed because he was not a troublemaker. He just wanted to get home.” The ATO, however, said Hameed threw the stone at a bus that had stopped to allow passengers to alight. “It was not a moving bus,” Priyesh said.

After discussions at the Manjeshwar police station that continued until around 1 am on Tuesday, Manjeshwar police determined that the incident had occurred on the Karnataka side of Talapady, and the case was transferred to the Ullal police station in Dakshina Kannada.

Hameed Ali was booked by Ullal police for vandalising public property and released after being served an arrest notice on January 6, said Muhammed Haneef B, panchayat member from Mulinja ward.

Hameed’s neighbour, Thahir, said he returned home to an empty house that night, as his wife and two sons had gone to Coimbatore to visit his daughters for a short break. On Wednesday morning, Kamarunissa received a video of her husband being taken into police custody and tried calling him. When he did not respond, she asked a relative to check on him.