Beed, March 15 The charred remains of a 60-year-old man were found in a sugarcane field in Beed district, Maharashtra, with police suspecting it to be a case of suicide, an official said on Sunday.
The body of Vishwanath Panchal was found in a field in the village of Mamdapur, in the Ambajogai tehsil, early Saturday morning, the official said.
According to police, the death came to light when a fire broke out in the field, and a farm worker alerted the landowner.
Panchal, the victim, was well-educated and associated with the Warkari sect, a devotional movement in Maharashtra. However, he was reportedly suffering from tuberculosis and was under mental stress due to the illness, the official said.
Preliminary investigation revealed that Panchal had allegedly attempted suicide by cutting himself with a blade, he said.
"Prima facie, it appears that he may have set himself on fire due to illness, but the cause of death will be known after the post-mortem examination and a detailed investigation," the official said.