Thiruvananthapuram | A ward member of a grama panchayat and his aged mother were found dead by hanging at their house near here, police said on Monday.

The bodies of the deceased, Arun (42) and his mother Valsala (71), were found hanging in a shed behind their house in Vakkom village, located in Kadakkavoor Police station limits, on Monday morning.

Arun was serving as a ward member of the Vakkom village panchayat.

Police said prima facie, it was a case of suicide, and a probe would be carried out to ascertain the reason for their extreme step.

Local media reported that Arun reportedly sent a suicide note to some of his friends, stating that he was taking his own life due to the distress of being falsely implicated in a case.

He also said to have named some of the residents in the purported note. However, police are yet to confirm such details.

"A case was registered against him under the SC/ST (Prevention of Atrocities) Act sometime back. As of now, it is not confirmed whether it has any connection with the extreme step," a police officer added.