Pune, March 8 -- A senior faculty member and head of department (HoD) at a dental college in Pune died by suicide at his residence on Friday, police said on Saturday. Investigators said a note recovered from the scene indicated that he had been under severe work-related stress. The deceased, around 45, was found dead when his wife returned home around noon and discovered him in the house. She immediately alerted neighbours and the police, who rushed to the spot and carried out a preliminary investigation. During the inspection, police recovered a suicide note in which the professor allegedly attributed his decision to work-related stress and stated that his wife was not responsible for his death. "According to the suicide note, he died due to work-related stress. No other reason has been mentioned in the note," said Vinay Patankar, senior police inspector at Sinhagad Road police station. The professor is survived by his wife and two school-going sons. His sudden death has left family members, colleagues and students in shock. Police have registered an accidental death report (ADR) and begun recording statements of family members and others connected with the case to piece together the circumstances leading up to the incident. Investigators are also looking into recent developments at the institute where he worked, including reports of issues related to staff salaries. However, police said preliminary inquiries suggest that the salary dispute concerned lower-rung staff and was not directly linked to the deceased. "Our preliminary investigation shows that the salary issue was related to lower-rank staff. He was serving as the HoD, and no such issue has come to light so far," Patankar said. Police also said the deceased's wife works as a professor at the same institute. The body has been sent for post-mortem examination, and further investigation is underway to verify the contents of the note and gather additional details about the circumstances that led to his death....