Pune: A 42-year-old police constable attached to the city traffic branch was found hanging from a ceiling hook in his house in the Dhanori locality of Lohegaon on Saturday afternoon.Based on preliminary investigations, the police suspect it to be a case of death by suicide, although the reason could not be determined immediately. The police did not find any suicide note in the house. A case of accidental death was registered in this connection.An officer of Airport police station identified the deceased constable as Rajendra Gaikwad, who was posted at the traffic branch’s control room in Pune. Saturday was his weekly off. He was alone in the house as his wife had gone to Daund for some work, while his children, aged 12 and 14, were in school, the officer said.“Gaikwad’s wife was trying to contact him by making repeated phone calls, but he was not responding. When his children returned from school, they found the door locked from the inside and no response from their father. They alerted their neighbours. Despite repeated knocks on the door, Gaikwad did not open it. The neighbours then alerted the police,” the officer said.A police team that went to the house broke open the door and found Gaikwad hanging from the ceiling hook. He was taken to a nearby hospital, where he was pronounced dead by the doctors. “We have registered a case of accidental death,” said the officer.
