Coimbatore : A 50-year-old man today attempted to commit suicide by slashing his neck with a pocket knife on the district collectorate premises, reportedly over his sister cheating him of ancestral properties.

Jeevan Michael Joseph of Pollachi in the district, who was standing near the District Collector’s office, suddenly removed a knife from his pocket and put it on his neck, police said.

A few people nearby noticed this and immediately overpowered him and handed him over to police, they said.

Preliminary inquiry with him revealed that his sister had cheated him by selling his share of ancestral property and threatening him of dire consequences sending rowdies, police said.