Kottayam: A car belonging to the former Head of the Endocrinology Department at the Kottayam Medical College, Dr R V Jayakumar, was set on fire by his former security guard on Monday morning. The accused, who sustained severe burn injuries during the incident, later succumbed to his injuries.

The incident occurred at around 7.30 am. The burning vehicle was first noticed by a domestic worker who had arrived at the house to sweep the premises. When Fire Force personnel and police reached the spot, the accused, identified as Chellappan, was found near the car with burn injuries.

He was rushed to the hospital for treatment but succumbed to his injuries in the evening. His funeral is scheduled to be held on Tuesday at 3.30 pm. He is survived by his wife and two children.

The fire was prevented from spreading to the house after employees from a nearby petrol pump rushed to the spot with fire extinguishers and doused the flames. However, one window of the house was damaged in the fire.

Chellappan had been working as the night watchman at the doctor’s house, located near the Gandhinagar–Medical College Road, and had recently been dismissed from his job. Police suspect that he may have been facing mental health issues.