Chennai: The lone suspect of IT professional S Swathi’s day light hacking to death, P Ramkumar on Sunday committed suicide inside the high security Puzhal prison. He is alleged to have bitten a live power cable and was electrocuted. He was rushed to a government hospital, where he was declared brought dead.

The prime suspect in Swathi’s sensational and gruesome hacking to death on a railway platform in June that sent shockwave across Tamil Nadu was found unconscious in his cell and was taken to a government hospital where he was declared brought dead. No one was present in the cell when he is supposed to have bitten the electricity cable.

“We believe he bit a live electrical wire and died on the spot,” a police source said. He climbed towards the ceiling and managed to get the live wire, sources said. Security guards tried to rescue him after cutting of the power supply, but is believed to have died on the spot. His body has been taken to the Royapettah Hospital morgue. A post-mortem will be conducted, after a formal complaint is lodged.

According to an official at the hospital, Ram kumar was brought to the hospital at around 5.40 pm and we found that he had already succumbed. The autopsy would be conducted tomorrow.

He seems to have suffered an electric shock injury on left side of his cheek and chest, a doctor said.

Ramkumar, a resident the southern district of Thirunelveli, was arrested in June after CCTV footage showed him near the crime scene following Swathi’s murder. Police have yet to file the final chargesheet in court.

Swathi, 24, was employed with Infosys’ branch at Mahindra World City at Singaperumalkoil, around 60km from Chennai. Swathi was hacked to death at Nungambakkam railway station, triggering an outrage in civil society and among political parties.

Ramkumar had stalked Swathi for few months and killed her after she rejected his overtures. Even when police reached his house to arrest him, he tried to slit his throat and commit suicide.