IAS hopeful, 24, dies of cardiac arrest in girlfriend’s house

CHENNAI: A 24-year-old IAS aspirant died of suspected

cardiac arrest

at his

girlfriend

’s house in Thiruvottiyur on Thursday,

police

said on Friday.

Thennavan’s 22-year-old girlfriend had invited him home for lunch after her parents left for Kerala, a police officer said. The automobile engineering graduate from Nagapatinam collapsed in her house. “Thennavan had taken up residence in Chennai two years ago to prepare for the civil service exams,” the officer said. “He met this girl, a law student, on a social networking site.”

The couple fell in love and the woman introduced Thennavan to her parents at a party they had organised in their house for her birthday in November.

“The woman was supposed to stay in a relative’s house while her parents were out of town, but she returned home, saying she had to study,” the officer said. “She cooked lunch for Thennavan. A little after Thennavan arrived, however, he lost consciousness and was frothing at the mouth.”

The woman alerted her relatives and they took Thennavan to a hospital nearby, but doctors there pronounced him dead on arrival.

Informed about the sudden demise of their son, Thennavan’s parents arrived in Chennai on Friday. His father lodged a police complaint, alleging foul play in his son’s death. A preliminary report from doctors suggests that the cause of death was

heart attack

, the officer said.