CHENNAI: A 28-year-old popular television actress Chitra allegedly killed herself at a hotel in the early hours of Wednesday in Nazarathpet on the outskirts of the city.
She was known for her leading role in the serial ‘Pandian Stores’ telecast on Vijay TV. Police said they are questioning her husband who was allegedly present at the hotel.
Police said Chitra had been staying at the hotel with her husband Hemnath Ravi, whom she married two months ago.
The Nazarathpet police said that Chitra had been in a serial shooting at EVP film city in Nazarathpet and returned to the hotel’s room number 113 around 1.30 am. Quoting Hemnath, police said that she had informed him that she would go for a bath and Hemnath stepped out of the room.
Hemnath told the police that he knocked on the door repeatedly and since there was no reply for a long time, he informed the hotel staff.
One of the staffers, Ganesh, accompanied him to the room. They found Chitra dead inside.
The hotel authorities called the control room and the team from the Nazarethpet police rushed to the hotel. A case has been registered and an inquiry has been ordered by the Revenue Divisional Officer, since she got married only two months ago.
Chitra’s father Kamaraj, a retired sub-inspector, told media persons that he did not suspect any foul play in the death and requested police personnel to investigate the incident in a fair manner.
While there was no suicide note found in the room, police have seized Chitra’s phone to check if there is evidence to ascertain the cause of her death.
Police said that Chitra lived with her parents at Thiruvanmiyur but she stayed often at the hotel since it was convenient for her to attend the shooting and also to meet Hemnath.
In August, she got engaged to Hemnath, a businessman, and two months ago they got married in the presence of their family members, said the police.
Chitra started her career in 2013 as an anchor for Makkal TV and also worked for Jaya TV and Zee Tamil. She became popular with Pandian Stores, a serial which started in 2018, playing a character named Mullai.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on Tamil Nadu’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)
Source: The New Indian Express