Kozhikode BTech student's death: Family struggles to believe suicide theory ahead of shooting championship

Kozhikode: The sudden death of 19-year-old engineering student Karthik at his residence in Pantheerankavu on Tuesday night has left his family, friends and neighbours devastated and searching for answers, more so as he was excitedly preparing to participate in an upcoming national-level shooting championship.

Karthik, a BTech student in Artificial Intelligence and Data Science at AWH Engineering College, was found with a gunshot injury on his forehead inside his bedroom around 8 pm. A spent cartridge was also recovered from the room.

According to police, Karthik’s parents and brother Deepak were away from home at the time of the incident. They found him lying unconscious in a pool of blood after returning home and immediately alerted neighbours before rushing him to the Government Medical College Hospital. However, doctors declared him brought dead.

Though no suicide note was recovered from the house, preliminary police investigations suggest it could be a case of suicide. However, family members, friends and neighbours say they were unable to understand what may have driven the young student to take such a step.

Karthik was passionate about shooting sports and had been actively preparing for an upcoming national-level shooting championship. Friends said he regularly attended practice sessions and was an active member of a rifle club in the city.

“We noticed nothing disturbing about Karthik in recent days. He was very enthusiastic about the competition and practised regularly. None of us can understand why this happened,” said Sabeesh, a neighbour and close family friend.

Originally from Olavanna, the family had been living at Parkakulam on the Pantheerankavu–Perumanna Road for the past six years. Neighbours described them as a close-knit family that maintained warm relationships with everyone in the locality.

Karthik’s father, Shibu, runs an Indane Gas Agency at Pookkad, while his brother Deepak, a degree student, occasionally helped with the family business.

“It was his parents who first found him inside the room and alerted neighbours. Everyone rushed to help immediately,” Sabeesh said, adding that the family was still struggling to believe that he shot himself.

Another neighbour, Vinil Kumar, said the entire area was struggling to come to terms with the tragedy. “I met Karthik just a few days ago. He seemed normal and cheerful. The family is very supportive of each other, and both sons used to help their father in business matters. The family is financially well-off. We are all shocked and unable to believe what happened,” he said.

A senior official of Pantheerankavu Police said investigators were examining all possible angles. “We have learnt that Karthik appeared normal and happy even on the day of the incident. He was very interested in the upcoming shooting competition. Competitive shooting can involve pressure and significant expenses, but the family was highly supportive of his participation. So, it cannot be concluded that pressure from the upcoming event led him to commit suicide. A detailed investigation is needed to determine the exact reason behind the death,” the officer said.

Police have completed the inquest procedures, and the body will be handed over to the family after the postmortem at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode.