Lufthansa staff commits suicide in Bangalore hotel

[captcat]

Lufthansa staff commits suicide in Bangalore hotel
PTI | May 1, 2011, 06.16pm IST
BANGALORE: A German national employed with Lufthansa Airlines allegedly committed suicide in his room in a five-star hotel here, police said today.
Alexander Kourik (35), a flight purser with Lufthansa Airlines, ended his life by slashing his wrist, elbow and leg with a broken liquor glass and a bottle opener, they told PTI.
Kourik had checked into the Oberoi Hotel at 2 am yesterday after his flight landed here. He then hung the "Do Not Disturb Tag" on the door knob and locked the door.
As Kourik, who was supposed to check out at 11.30 pm, did not report for duty, the airlines officials got suspicious and rushed to the hotel and opened the room with a duplicate key.
They found him dead with his left wrist, elbow and right leg slashed with a broken liquor glass and a liquor bottle opener, police said adding no suicide note was found.
The airlines officials have informed Kourik's family in Germany.
The case is being investigated by Ulsoor police.
Lufthansa staff commits suicide in B'lore hotel - The Times of India (http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/Lufthansa-staff-commits-suicide-in-Blore-hotel/articleshow/8135103.cms)

[64K]

Condolences to his family, and of course also his fellow crew.

But do the media really have to publish this level of detail? Name, age, etc? Disgusting, no respect whatsoever.

[brighton_rocks]

Poor soul - and best wishes to his family, colleagues & friends x

[sawmills]

Oh so so sad.

[Airclues]

Does anyone know if Lufthansa are carrying out their own investigation. It seems an unusual way to commit suicide, and the police seem to be rather hasty in declaring it so. If I were the police I would be investigating whether this was a murder which was made to look like a suicide. There are many cases of murders being made to look like suicide or accident.

BBC NEWS | UK | England | Devon | Goa murder 'covered up' by police (http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/devon/7288729.stm)

I'm not suggesting that the police in this case have any ulterior motives and I'm sure that there are facts that we don't know about. However, I hope that they will take their time and that they will allow external monitoring of the investigation.

Dave

[alonsos]

R.I.P.

@Airclues: While reading the article I, too, thought that it was a rather strange way of committing suicide... but who knows...let's wait and see if the Indian police are going to do sth.
I don't think they will do much, however, since they are happy if a case can just be put aside easily and quickly... no offence to the police there, but that was my impression when I was there for holiday once and our stuff was stolen (plane tickets, money etc.) They were just like: "Er, well, sorry, there's nothing we can do for you..."

[Evanelpus]

35, that's no age at all, one wonders what was going on in his life to do something like this.

Condolences to his family and friends

[Airclues]

to do something like this.

A colleague was able to enter the room using a duplicate key so it was not fully locked from the inside. There was no suicide note. Let's not say that it was suicide until an inquest has heard all the facts and declared it so.

Dave

[Evanelpus]

A colleague was able to enter the room using a duplicate key so it was not fully locked from the inside. There was no suicide note. Let's not say that it was suicide until an inquest has heard all the facts and declared it so.

Only chose the words I did because the OP's posting quite clearly states it was a suicide.

Yourself and alonsos seem certain that a doubt exists. Do you have some insider knowledge or are you both from the same conspiracy school.

[Airclues]

Evanelpus

The newspager article said allegedly committed suicide. The OP made it into a fact. I'm not sure if alonso and I went to the same conspiracy school. I speak having, as the captain, had so sort out several incidents to crewmembers. In many cases the local police, particularly in tourist areas, tried to play the incidents down so as to avoid any bad publicity.

Dave

[Evanelpus]

Thanks for that Dave. I always find it sad to hear about young people taking their own lives.

Whichever way this pans out, 35 is too young to go!

[hetfield]

Alexander was 53 years old, not 35.


RIP

[Doors_to_Automatic]

A colleague was able to enter the room using a duplicate key so it was not fully locked from the inside. There was no suicide note. Let's not say that it was suicide until an inquest has heard all the facts and declared it so.

Dave

Sincere condolences to his family, friends and colleagues.

I do agree it's a little suspicious. Any experienced crew member would lock the door from the inside without even thinking about it so it's unusual that it was left unlocked.

Such a sad situation and still so young as well.

[phicongduc]

I have to say that the newspaper put his age wrong... he was actually 53... not 35.... sad news.....

[ArthurR]

condolences to his family, I can't understand why someone could do this, thought about it a few times myself, but never thought it was a solution.

[Britgirl1]

This kind of thing is indeed very very sad. Condolences to his family and friends.

[BumBrownin]

Some CC are just....whats the word-crazy.Sad but true:=

[HenryJosie]

Bumbrowin I cannot believe that you have just said that. Having been an obsever of pprune for about a year I have now joined so as to reply to your post. I find it highly offensive that you would say that about crew when someone has taken their own life. Having unfortunately been surrounded my varying degree's of mental illness since I was 4 years old I find your comments both uneducated and offensive.

[Jumbo744]

How can you say that? Shame on you. Sounds like you have absolutely no life experience outside your little protected world. I'd love to meet you and break your little selfish new-yorker face.

[BumBrownin]

How can you say that? Shame on you. Sounds like you have absolutely no life experience outside your little protected world. I'd love to meet you and break your little selfish new-yorker face.

&

Bumbrowin I cannot believe that you have just said that. Having been an obsever of pprune for about a year I have now joined so as to reply to your post. I find it highly offensive that you would say that about crew when someone has taken their own life. Having unfortunately been surrounded my varying degree's of mental illness since I was 4 years old I find your comments both uneducated and offensive.

Thank you. We're all refreshed and challenged by your unique point of view.

But lets look at the facts. This guy could (have been)called a 'Safety-Professional', right?
On a somewhat daily basis he was interracting with people that he didnt know ensuring that they were kept safe,comfortable, and in compliance with rules and regulations, right?

But at the same time he killed himself by slashing his wrists,elbow, and leg.Thats right an ELBOW! WTF?! As if he didnt realize what he was doing when he first dragged the glass through his skin, that SH*T is straight up crazy, and obviously i found 2 more crazies-(that's right-CRAZIES) after i posted, you both need help. You wont find sympathy from me.

Everyone is under pressure DAILY.LOVE LIVE LAUGH or do whatever the hell else you gotta do to stay sane and appreciate the only life you have.I suggest you two not drink on your layovers, not cuz you might get drunk and slip , but because you two just might break the bottle and start cutting yourselves, and that well...it would ruin the whole crews night/lives.

[Jackbr]

Ignore the above posts. This person likely has no family or friends and lives a very sad life and finds solace in making light of the pain of others. Poor dear.


Tragic to hear this - I find it problematic that the media named the LH Hotel though....Does this mean the airline will need to relocate its crew accomodation?

[SassyPilotsWife]

Suicide scenes are not always as they appear. I have responded to " suicide calls" for 12 years and there were a few that were extremely questionable. First of all, men usually don't cut themselves. Cutting your wrist is usually associated with "deliberate self harm" which the person doesn't really want to die, they are just reaching out for help. And if they do, they don't normally cut themselves in 3 different locations. It does sound rather suspicious.

Most men use firearms but accessibility was most likely not an option. Then they try to hang themselves. Once again, maybe not an option as there was no rope or anything high enough to use sheets.

My question if I were investigating this scene and learning this from investigators who have been there on the scene after we delcared someone DOA, I would want to look at the glass that cut, does it match the wounds ? are his prints only on it ? Did someone exit the room before those that found him entered it? Most hotel rooms record that via keys.

how many floors up was his room ? Would jumping to his death been an option? Men are more likely to jump than to cut. Men are 3 times more likely to create a " violent act" and 4 times more likely than a woman to succeed.

Any chance this could have been a lovers quarrel that went bad ? I've seen suicides successful via cut wrist, but they cut BOTH wrist and not an elbow or elbow region nor the right leg.

I would definitely NOT rule this as a suicide until a well informed and professional investigation is done. I would also hire my own investigators to do this if it were my family member. Remember, the airline does NOT want press or media about this so they will want this case wrapped up and put away. And insurance companies often do not pay out life insurance policies if the insured commits suicide so they want it ruled a suicide, the investigation wrapped up and closed.
God be with his family and friends.