Bhubaneswar: A 46-year-old lawyer allegedly died by self-immolation after setting himself on fire atop his four-storey house in Pandara under Mancheswar police limits in Bhubaneswar late Thursday night.

The deceased has been identified as Deepak Sahu, who was a resident of Ward-18 in Pandara. Police recovered his half-burnt body from the roof and sent it to Capital Hospital for a post-mortem.

According to reports, Deepak, who lived with his wife, two children, and mother, had been suffering from mental illness and was under medication. However, the reasons behind his extreme step remain unclear.

Family members said the incident occurred around 10 pm when his wife asked him to have dinner. Deepak replied that he was feeling hot and would go to the roof for some time before eating. When he did not return, his wife went upstairs around 10.30 pm. She found the roof door locked and, sensing smoke and the smell of burning, raised an alarm.

Hearing her cries, neighbours rushed to the spot. Some youths climbed onto the roof from an adjoining house, only to find Deepak's body already engulfed in flames.

Two teams from Mancheswar police reached the spot shortly after and launched an investigation.