Bengaluru, April 1 (IANS) The preliminary findings into the techie couple suicide case reported from the Kothanur police station limits in Karnataka’s Bengaluru indicate that job loss due to Artificial Intelligence (AI) in the US triggered the husband’s depression, police said on Wednesday.

In a shocking incident, the wife jumped from the 17th floor after finding her husband’s body hanging at their residence.

Police suspect that she took the extreme step in a state of shock after seeing her husband’s body.

The incident was reported from the Kothanur locality in Bengaluru.

The deceased were identified as 32-year-old Bhanuchandra Reddy, also known as Babu Reddy, and 31-year-old Shazia Siraj. Both were software professionals working at private companies and hailed from Telangana.

Police said that Reddy fell into deep depression after being unable to cope with losing his job in the US and died by suicide.

Reddy and Shazia had been married for two years, and Shazia’s family was reportedly unaware of their marriage.

Police suspect that, due to this, the couple chose to settle in Bengaluru instead of Telangana.

Sources said that Reddy had earlier worked in the US, earning around Rs 80 lakh annually. He had purchased a house in the US and also built a house for his family in Telangana.

However, he lost his job due to AI-related changes and was deeply affected by the development. He also mentioned this in his death note.

After moving to Bengaluru, Reddy’s attempts to secure a high-profile job were unsuccessful.

Police said that during this difficult period, Shazia and her family supported Reddy, but despite this, the latter took the extreme step.

Shazia was working with a multinational company in Bengaluru and had returned home after her night shift.

When the door of her house was not opened, she alerted security.

After the door was broken open, Reddy was found hanging inside.

Shazia remained at the spot for about 20 minutes before going to the 17th floor and jumping to her death.

Police have also learned that the couple had been together for around nine years and were in a live-in relationship before marriage. However, they reportedly had frequent quarrels.

Two separate cases have been registered at the Kothanur police station in connection with the incident.

Police have recovered a death note written by Reddy, in which he said that no one should be held responsible for his death and cited depression as the reason for taking the extreme step.

Further investigation is underway.

–IANS

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