Published Nov 15, 2026 | 5:16 PM ⚊ Updated Nov 15, 2026 | 5:16 PM
The CCTV footage shows Balakrishnan sitting and speaking to the officers inside the police inspector's room at around 5.58 am on November 14.
CCTV footage from the Chekanurani police station in Madurai district, recorded shortly before a lorry driver allegedly died by suicide, has surfaced, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding his death.
42-year-old Balakrishnan, a lorry driver from Devaram in Theni district, was brought to the Chekanurani police station for questioning on November 13 after the vehicle he drove, carrying a consignment of cardamom, caught fire. He was later found hanging inside the station’s toilet on the morning of November 14.
The CCTV footage shows Balakrishnan sitting and speaking to the officers inside the police inspector’s room at around 5.58 am on November 14. It subsequently shows him walking into the toilet without any apparent difficulty.
Meanwhile, Balakrishnan’s family members have refused to receive his body even after the post-mortem examination was completed. They alleged that he was murdered after being attacked with deadly weapons. They vowed to continue their protest until appropriate action is taken against those responsible. They have also indicated plans to approach the court seeking a CBI investigation.
According to police, Balakrishnan worked as a lorry driver for a cardamom trader named Nagarajan from Madurai. He had transported a consignment of cardamom from Bodi to Madurai on November 3 in an Eicher container lorry, which reportedly caught fire at Valandhur near Usilampatti.
Following the incident, a case was registered at Valandhur police station based on the complaint of Balakrishnan. According to police, Balakrishnan, who was at the police station on November 13, was asked to stay back as the police reportedly found discrepancies in his complaint and decided to question him further to collect statements and evidence. He was reportedly accommodated in the police inspector’s room.
Balakrishnan was found hanging on the morning of the next day, with police claiming that he may have died by suicide out of fear after realising that the complaint he had lodged could potentially lead to action against him.
However, Balakrishnan’s wife on Saturday alleged that the Chekkanoorani police tortured her husband to make him accept responsibility for the burnt cardamom consignment.
“Day before yesterday, the Chekkanoorani police called my husband for an inquiry. We also accompanied him. After the inquiry, the police sent us home that night. My husband later told me in distress that the police had tortured him and pressured him to accept responsibility for the burnt cardamom. The police again asked him to appear for an inquiry yesterday, and he went to the station. This time, we did not accompany him. He did not speak to us after going for the inquiry last night. This morning, the police informed us that he had died,” she told reporters.
The Crime Branch-Criminal Investigation Department (CB-CID) is investigating the case.
(Edited by Fayisa CA)
