Kin receive body of man who jumped off building

Kochi: Central police on Tuesday handed over the body of a man, who reportedly jumped to his death from a building on MG Road, to his relatives. The deceased was identified as Maram Kesava Reddy, a native of Telangana. He was a havildar posted in Ladakh.Police suspect it as a case of suicide. He reportedly jumped from the third floor of the building, which houses a jewellery showroom on Saturday. Police said that relatives who arrived in Kochi on Tuesday confirmed the identity of the deceased, received the mortal remains and left for his hometown to perform the last rites. Officers from his regiment also arrived, police said. They said that a detailed statement from the family members would be collected later. Police said that Reddy, who was on leave, travelled to Sabarimala with his wife and parents by train. As the group returned from the pilgrimage, Reddy disembarked at Ernakulam. According to police, preliminary information was that he had a family dispute. A detailed investigation is under way into the reason for the extreme step, police said. Police could not initially identify the deceased as his body was found naked. A dhoti was later recovered from the third floor. Police even issued a notice urging public assistance to identify the man. However, they later found CCTV footage of the man stripping as he walked to the building. Police noticed him hurling something, which led to a thorough sweep of the area, including rubbish dumps. Police soon found an identification document, which led to the relatives being alerted.Suicides are preventable and help is just a phone call away. Those in distress can call Maitri at 0484-2540530 or emergency medical services at 0471- 2552056.