AN Indian man died yesterday after setting himself on fire at a labour camp in Shakhura.

Suresh Ravi, 22, from Chennai in Tamil Nadu, reportedly locked himself in a room and blocked the door with a wooden plank, before pouring kerosene over himself and setting himself ablaze.

Police and Civil Defence teams were called to the scene after a watchman saw smoke coming from the room at around 8.30am.

He attempted to break in before they arrived, but was unable to do so.

Mr Ravi worked for the Juma Construction Company and had been with the firm for 18 months.

"Suresh suffered from 100 per cent burns and when we arrived at the scene, the watchman was trembling as he told us exactly what happened," said general manager Libi Thomas.

"There are five other people living in the same room but no one else was there, as everyone was at work at that time.

"We don't know the exact reason, but I think he had taken a loan from his friends, and they probably called his family and informed them about it.

"It maybe that he was embarrassed and unable to face his family, so he committed suicide.

"We didn't get any letter or a note from him, but we got this information from his friends."

Mr Thomas said Mr Ravi's colleagues were in shock at what happened, saying there were no signs that he was contemplating taking his own life.

Public Prosecution and Criminal Investigation Directorate officials were among those called to the scene to investigate.

"The rooms where the incident happened was completely destroyed," said a Civil Defence spokesman.

"The case is still under investigation, but all the evidence points to a suicide.

"The worker locked himself in a room and we found a kerosene bottle alongside his body."

Mr Thomas said his family had been informed and the company was trying to finish legal formalities to allow him to be repatriated.

"We are also going to clear his dues and raise some funds for the family," he said. aneeqa@gdn.com.bh