Bank manager ends life citing 'work pressure' in Baramati

Pune: A 52-year-old manager with a public sector bank's Baramati branch was found hanging from a ceiling hook in his cabin on Thursday night.

The Baramati City police recovered a note purportedly written by him from one of the pockets of his trousers. "It stated that high work pressure drove him to take the extreme step. We have registered a case of accidental death in this regard," senior inspector Vishal Nale said.

The deceased branch manager hailed from Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh. He is survived by his wife and a daughter. He had applied for voluntary retirement barely days before taking the extreme step, the police said.

TOI sent a query to the bank authorities seeking their response on the matter. There was no reply from them till the time of going to press.

Senior police inspector Nale said the manager had gone to the bank as usual on Thursday. He was there until all other staff members left. "The bank's peon told us that when he went to the manager's cabin to check when he could shut the bank, the manager told him to go home as he had some work to do," Nale said.

The officer said when the manager did not return home until late in the night, his wife called him, but he did not respond. She then called the bank's staff members and the peon, too. The peon then went to the bank and found its doors were open.

"When the peon went to the manager's cabin, he found the manager hanging from the ceiling hook. He immediately alerted the bank staffers and the victim's family members," Nale said.

He said the police went to the spot and sent the body for post-mortem. "The deceased manager, in the suicide note found with the body, requested the bank not to pressurise the employees . It stated that everyone knew their responsibilities and they were giving their 100 % to the work. No one from the family should be held responsible for his decision, it stated. The victim apologised to his wife and daughter in the note and mentioned that his eyes should be donated," Nale said.

"We have registered a case of accidental death. The manager did not mention anyone's name in the suicide note. Our investigations are on," the officer said.