Pune suicide: Kerala family inhaled sodium nitrite fumes, note reveals financial distress

Neighbours had spotted smoke billowing from the apartment of the Malayali family who died by suicide due to alleged financial stress in Pune.

When they forced open the door on Saturday morning, they saw Vinod Pillai, his wife Silja and their daughter Poornima, lying unconscious in the bedroom.

A resident, who is a doctor, immediately sensed the presence of a toxic substance in the air and alerted emergency services. The three were rushed to hospital in ambulances, but Vinod was declared brought dead. Silja and Poornima, who were on ventilator support, succumbed on Sunday.

The family, originally from Valiyavila in Thiruvananthapuram, had been living at Karishma Glory Apartments in Pimpri-Chinchwad, near Pune, for the past three years. While the incident was initially suspected to have been caused by a toxic gas leak, police later confirmed it was a case of suicide.

"The family had purchased sodium nitrite online and burnt it along with charcoal on Saturday morning. The fumes generated from it caused their deaths," Suhas Avhadh, Senior Police Inspector of Sant Tukaramnagar Police Station, told Onmanorama.

Police have recovered a suicide note from the apartment. While the exact reason behind the deaths is yet to be confirmed, investigators suspect financial distress may have played a role.

Vinod (52) worked as a Research Assistant at Eaton in Pune, while Silja (52) was a teacher at City International School in Pimpri. Their daughter Poornima (20) was pursuing a BSc in Computer Science. The family lived on the second floor of the B Wing of Karishma Glory Apartments, about 15 km from Pune Railway Station.

The incident came to light after Silja failed to report for work on Saturday. Unable to reach her over the phone, one of her colleagues visited the apartment around 9 am.

Abhilash, a Thrissur native who lives in the same apartment complex and works at an IT firm in Pune said the doctor quickly realised the apartment was filled with toxic fumes. "Those who entered immediately carried the three out of the apartment. The doctor also instructed everyone to shut the door again to prevent the fumes from spreading. Even those who helped rescue them experienced breathing difficulty and suffocation," Abhilash recalled.

"It was a busy Saturday morning when most residents were leaving for work, so many came to know about the incident only after the family had been shifted to hospital," Abhilash said.

According to residents, the family had moved to Pune around two decades ago and had been living in their current apartment for the last three years after shifting from another flat about 3 km away.

"They maintained a very low profile. There are around 50 families in this apartment, including fewer than 10 Malayali families. Usually, Malayalis living away from home stay connected, but Vinod and his family rarely interacted with anyone. Even during apartment association meetings, they would come in, sit quietly for a few minutes and leave. Only Poornima was occasionally seen downstairs playing with the children," Abhilash said.

He added that Silja spoke very little and would only exchange greetings while leaving for or returning from school, while Vinod hardly interacted with other residents. "None of us knew they were facing any difficulties. Since they kept to themselves, there was only so much we could know," he said.

Family members in Kerala said Vinod had not been going to work for some time, though he remained in regular contact with his mother. "The incident has left all of us in complete shock," said Ajith, Vinod's brother-in-law.

Relatives of both Vinod and Silja have reached Pune. The autopsies have been completed. “The family has decided to cremate all three in Pune, and arrangements are currently under way,” Abhilash added.