S. Selvakumar (21), a final year Electrical and Electronics Engineering student at OAS Institute of Technology and Management in Thiruchirappalli district of Tamil Nadu committed suicide in his hostel room on Friday. The student took the extreme step after his room-mate, Shanmugavel, discovered that the former had stolen his mobile phone and laptop. They shared room number 402 of the hostel located at Pulivalam near Thuraiyar. 

“Three months ago, Selvakumar had stolen the mobile phone and laptop of Shanmugavel. The latter recognised his mobile phone when Selvakumar offered it to him to download songs on Friday,” said a police official at the Pulivalam police station. 

“Both had a heated argument that night after which Shanmugavel went to sleep in his friend’s room. He returned to his room the next morning to bathe and found Selvakumar hanging, dead,” he added. He further clamied that Selvakumar took this extreme step because his friendship with Shanmugavel suffered a blow.

Another student residing in the hostel confirmed that the room-mates were very good friends as they studied in the same class and lived in the same room. 

The body has been sent for post-mortem to Mahatma Gandhi Memorial Government Hospital in Thuraiyar.