Representative image of helium.
Credit: iStock Photo
Bengaluru: A 24-year-old techie is suspected to have died by suicide after inhaling helium in a hotel room in southeastern Bengaluru on Tuesday, police said.
Yagnik Sujith, a native of Sakleshpur, Hassan, worked from home for IT major Wipro and arrived in Bengaluru on August 16 to attend exams for his MTech course. He stayed in Room 401 at the Hotel Royal Inn near Neeladri Road in Electronic City.
On Tuesday, the day Sujith was supposed to check out at 11 am, hotel staff called him on the room landline and knocked on the door but didn't get a response.
Around noon, a staff member opened the door with a master key only to find Sujith lying motionless inside. A cylinder was also found inside.
Police were immediately informed and Sujith's body was moved to a hospital, where doctors pronounced him dead on arrival.
According to police, Sujith borrowed a bag from a friend on Monday and went to the Peenya industrial area. He bought a portable helium cylinder (3 feet in height) and returned to his hotel room.
"He had told his friend he was going to Peenya to purchase some items. The cylinders are sold commercially and no licences are needed to buy them. They are generally used in filling balloons," a well-placed police source told DH.
Investigators suspect that during the night, Sujith put a garbage bag over his head, inserted the pipe connected to the cylinder through an opening and inhaled helium.
"Asphyxiation appears to be the cause of death, and blood had clotted near his hands. We will get more clarity once we receive the autopsy report," an officer said.
Police are also investigating whether Sujith had taken his exams but are yet to reveal the cause of the death.
As of now, an Unnatural Death Report (UDR) has been registered by the Electronics City police and Sujith's parents have been informed about the incident, according to police.