Chennai Auditor Ends Life After Killing Son

In a deeply disturbing incident that has shocked Chennai, a central government official allegedly killed his young son, attempted to murder his wife, and later died by suicide by jumping in front of a train on Sunday morning.
The deceased, Naveen Kannan (43), was working as a Senior Auditor at the Central Security Accounts Office in Teynampet. He lived with his wife Nivedita (38), an officer with the Southern Railway, their 7-year-old son Lavin Kannan, and his elderly parents at an apartment on 18th Main Road, Anna Nagar West.
According to police reports, the incident unfolded around 10 a.m. on Sunday when a loud scream was heard from Nivedita’s bedroom. Naveen’s parents, who were in the next room, rushed to check and were horrified to find Nivedita lying in a pool of blood with her throat slit, while their grandson Lavin was found motionless on the bed with strangulation marks.
Neighbours immediately came to their aid, and Nivedita was rushed to the Kilpauk Government Hospital, where she is currently undergoing intensive treatment. The Thirumangalam Police arrived at the scene and sent the boy’s body to the same hospital for postmortem. Fingerprint experts and a sniffer dog squad were also brought in to collect evidence.
While police were investigating the scene, they received information about a man who had jumped before the Bengaluru–Chennai Shatabdi Express between Korattur and Villivakkam around 10:30 a.m. Railway officials and police identified the deceased as Naveen Kannan.
Preliminary investigations revealed that Naveen had recently suffered heavy financial losses in the online stock market, leading to severe depression. Police suspect that financial frustration may have driven him to commit the murder-suicide.
A senior police officer said, “It appears that Naveen, distressed over losing money in stock trading, killed his son, attempted to kill his wife, and then took his own life by jumping in front of a train. We will know the complete details only after questioning Nivedita once she recovers. At present, she is not in a condition to speak.”
Naveen’s parents were inconsolable upon learning that their son had died by suicide shortly after the horrific incident at their home. The tragedy has cast a pall of grief over the neighbourhood, where residents described the family as quiet and friendly.
The Thirumangalam Police have registered a case and are conducting further investigations to ascertain the exact sequence of events and motive behind the crime.