chennai cop
An armed reserve cop shot himself dead at the memorial of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Jayalalithaa, on Sunday morning in Chennai [Representational Image]Creative Commons

A 25-year-old armed reserved constable shot himself to death in the wee hours of Sunday at the Jayalalithaa memorial on Marina Beach.

Arunraj was posted on duty at the memorial with three others. The police are yet to ascertain if it was a suicide or a case of accidental firing.

Around 5 am, the guards posted along with him heard a gunshot and rushed only to find Arunraj lying in a pool of blood. Arunraj allegedly shot himself in the neck with a .303 rifle. His parents have been informed about his death.

According to the police, Arunraj last spoke to his father at 7:30 pm on Saturday.

The body has been sent to Royapettah Government Hospital in Chennai for post-mortem after which it will be handed over to his family for cremation.