Chennai: 23-Year-Old Promising Cricketer Jumps To Death from Kathipara Flyover

CHENNAI: A 23-year-old professional first division cricketer, S Samuel Raj from Virugambakkam, died by suicide on Friday after jumping from the Kathipara flyover, according to police reports.

The incident occurred as Samuel Raj was returning home on his two-wheeler after a practice session. Witnesses who saw him jump from the flyover immediately alerted the police and called for an ambulance. He was quickly transported to Chromepet Government Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The body has been sent for a postmortem examination.

The incident caused a significant traffic disruption on the flyover, with vehicles halted for nearly 45 minutes, police said.

Samuel Raj did not leave a suicide note or send any last-minute messages to friends or family, leaving the reasons for his actions unclear. However, police sources told Indian Express that his friends mentioned he had been visibly distressed in recent days. "We suspect that this might be the reason for his resorting to the extreme step," a police source said.

Samuel Raj was an MBA graduate and a talented cricketer. He had played for the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association (TNCA) XI in the Buchi Babu tournament and led the South Zone side in the Vizzy Trophy, a national-level tournament organized by the BCCI. Friends and fellow players remember him as a committed and hardworking off-spinner, often likened to Indian cricket star R Ashwin.

His untimely death has left the cricket community in Chennai and aspiring cricketers heartbroken, with many expressing their shock and condolences.

The St Thomas Mount police have registered a case of unnatural death as investigations continue.