A 33-year-old man who has worked as a scriptwriter for Bengali television serials attempted suicide on Tuesday inside his restaurant that has been closed for the past three months, police said.

The man had left home saying he had to buy some essential goods. Some of his friends alerted the police after reading his Facebook post that he was going to “quit” and they, along with cops, found him unconscious inside the restaurant.

Cops and his friends said he was depressed because of financial crisis triggered by the lockdown and “some problems with a woman friend”.

A disinfectant, an insecticide sprayer and a pair of scissors were found beside him, the police said. He regained consciousness in hospital.

It is not clear if he had taken the insecticide. “There were scars on his hand, which appear to be self-inflicted with the pair of scissors,” an officer of Regent Park police station said.

“He was extremely upset because his family restaurant was not doing well. They had to close it down during the lockdown. He had some problems with his girlfriend as well,” one of his friends said.

The friend, along with two others, had seen his Facebook post and alerted cops before reaching the restaurant.