COIMBATORE: A 102-year-old man committed suicide by hanging himself at his residence in New Siddhapudur in the city on Monday. Police said his 97-year-old wife was suffering from heart problems. Upset by his wife’s health condition, N Rangasamy Naidu took the extreme step.

His wife Ranganayaki, 97, was staying with their daughter Amirthammal in the city. Police said the couple has four children, all living in the city. Rangasamy had been unwilling to live in his daughter’s house, though his son-in-law K Rajendran used to bring him food. On Monday morning, Rajendran found him hanging from the ceiling of his bedroom at his residence. Neighbours informed the Race Course police, who went to the house and sent the body to Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for postmortem examination.

"He was very attached to his wife. She cooked his meals and looked after him well," said Rajendran. As her health condition was bad for the last one month, Rangasamy often went into depression, which could have driven him to commit suicide. Police said Rangasamy owned several properties in the city and earned a sizeable income from rentals. However, the man did not leave behind any suicide note. Race Course police registered a case and investigation is on.