CHENNAI: A 48-year-old man who took

pills died at a lodge in Periamet on Friday morning. Police said the man suffered a cardiac arrest after consuming the

.

The man was identified as M Venkataraman, a mason from Sastri Nagar. He had gone to the lodge with a woman, a 23-year-old construction worker. She told police that he lost consciousness in the room and fell down from the bed with a loud thud.

After receiving an alert, the Periamet police rushed Venkataraman to the Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital where he was declared ‘brought dead’.

Police, who searched the room, recovered a pack aphrodisiac. “He had bought a pack of four tablets and consumed three,” said S Chellappa, inspector, Periamet. He had taken the tablets based on the advice of a friend who is also a mason, he said. Preliminary examination suggested that he may have died of drug

, Chellappa said.

Police said Venkataraman was in a relationship with the woman. His daughter’s friend, she often visited Venkataraman’s house. Since the woman’s husband was disabled, she worked as a construction worker to support the family. She went to building sites with Venkataraman who picked her up from her house.

Initially the two would meet at the woman’s house but after her husband grew suspicious, Venkatraman took the woman to the lodge on Karpura Street in Periamet. The two visited the facility on several occasions pretending as man and wife.

On Friday, the two left for the lodge at 5am. Around 6.30 am, the woman rushed to the reception and informed the lodge staff that Venkataraman had collapsed. He sweated profusely and choked, said police quoting the woman.

Police have registered a case under CrPC 174 and are investigating.