Kochi: The police have concluded that the death of a college teacher here on Thursday evening is a case of suicide. VS Chandralal (41), a Hindi teacher at a college in Ernakulam's Mazhuvannoor, was found dead in a field near his home around 5.30 pm on Thursday. His stomach was found torn open and internal organs were exposed.

Neighbours reported seeing Chandralal heading towards the field in the afternoon, and a woman found his body in the evening. According to the police, Chandralal, who was suffering from mental illness, had a history of self-harm and was undergoing treatment for it. He had been on leave from the college for two weeks. He was depressed following the death of his father three months ago, relatives said.

Chandralal is survived by his wife Vinaya, a guest teacher at Koothattukulam Government Higher Secondary School, and two children, Miraja (Class 7) and Mirav (Class 2). The body was handed over to the relatives after the autopsy, police said.