Hyderabad, Jun 15 (Deccan Chronicle) : A sub-inspector from Kukunoorpally police station allegedly committed suicide by shooting himself with his service weapon in his home in Siddipet, just a day after a 28-year-old woman employee of a photo studio ended her life.

While relatives of sub-inspector P. Prabhakar Reddy alleged that he committed suicide due to harassment from his seniors, police officials say that Prabhakar Reddy had made sexual advances to the woman, Arusumilli Vijayalakshmi, alias Sirisha, a day before her death. They allege that he killed himself after TV channels started playing up the death of Sirisha, portraying it as a highly suspicious death.

Sirisha, who worked as a beautician and HR manager in RJ Photography near Filmnagar in Jubilee Hills, was found hanging from the ceiling fan in her office on Tuesday morning. A case of suspicious death was filed but the news broke only on Wednesday morning.

Prabhakar Reddy, 32, was found lying dead on a chair at his house in the police quarters by his colleagues on Wednesday afternoon. The police suspect that he killed himself between 12.45 pm and 1 pm. His service pistol was found near his body.

His colleagues said he had come to work in the morning. He left the police station at 12 noon. He was still wearing his uniform when his body was found.

Prabhakar Reddy’s wife and children were in their native village of Aloor. Strangely, Prabhakar Reddy had taken over as the Kukunoorpally SI after his predecessor, V Ramakrishna Reddy, 45, shot himself with his service pistol last year.

Telangana’s Director General of Police, Anurag Sharma, said that an investigation has been launched and it will be looking into all aspects of the death. Mr Sharma has also transferred Siddipet ACP Giridhar and attached him to the headquarters.

Meanwhile, violence erupted in Siddipet following the death of the SI. Locals started a rasta roko on the Karimnagar highway and at the Kukunoorpally police station. SI Prabhakar Reddy’s relatives came out on the road to protest. They said harassment by top cops pushed him to suicide. Police had to divert buses and heavy vehicles from Siddipet.