New Delhi, October 7: Ashwani Kumar, the former director of Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), died on Wednesday. The retired IPS officer's body was found at his residence in Shimla, the police said. As per the preliminary findings, a case of suicide is suspected. Suicide Prevention Helplines in India: Numbers to Dial in Case of Suicidal Thoughts, Depression, Distressed State of Mind.

Shimla's Superintendent of Police Mohit Chawla told reporters that Kumar's body was found hanging at his residence. He is suspected to have died by suicide, the SP said. The body is expected to be sent for a post-mortem.

"Former Governor of Manipur and Nagaland, and Ex-CBI Director Ashwani Kumar found hanging at his residence in Shimla," Chawla was reported as saying by news agency ANI.

Update by ANI

Kumar, an IPS rank officer, was appointed as the Director General of Police of Himachal Pradesh in 2006. In 2008, he was promoted as the Director of the CBI -- the country's premiere investigation body. He remained at helm of the agency till November 2010, when he retired from duty.

In 2013, Kumar briefly served as the Governor of Nagaland and Manipur, the two northeastern states. After his brief stint at the Raj Bhawan, the former IPS had largely remained away from public life. He had settled in Shimla, the city where he spent a major portion of his life.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Oct 07, 2020 09:06 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).