Ramgarh (Jharkhand), May 19 : A Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) employee posted in Bengaluru was found hanging from a tree near his native village in Jharkhandâ??s Ramgarh district on Tuesday morning, police said.

The deceased was identified as Kamal Kishore Mahto, a resident of Talatad Bhuiyan Tola under the Patratu police station area. He had returned to his ancestral village on leave on April 19 and had been staying with his family for the past few weeks.

According to family members, Mahto had been under severe mental stress and depression for several days. They said he had also been suffering from insomnia and often appeared disturbed and withdrawn because of his worsening mental condition.

Villagers said he was seen roaming alone in the locality around 11 p.m. on Monday. His behaviour reportedly appeared unusual, though no one suspected that something tragic might happen later in the night.

Family members woke up around 2 a.m. and found his bed empty. Concerned over his sudden disappearance, relatives and villagers started searching for him through the night, but they could not trace him due to the darkness and the hilly terrain around the village.

The search resumed early on Tuesday morning with the help of more villagers. A few hours later, his body was discovered hanging from a tree on a nearby hill, sending shockwaves through the entire locality.

The incident has left the village grief-stricken. Mahto is survived by his wife and two young sons, aged six and four.

After receiving information about the incident, a team from Patratu police station rushed to the spot and brought the body down from the tree. Police completed the preliminary legal formalities and later sent the body to Sadar Hospital for post-mortem examination.

Officials said further investigation is underway to ascertain the circumstances that led to the incident.

/IANS