Chief Operating Officer of Britannica, 47, committed suicide on Sunday. Encyclopaedia Britannica's senior executive killed himself by jumping within a deep shaft of the apartment building where he lived in Gurgaon.

The police says that "Vineet Whig, the Chief Operating Officer for Britannica, was found dead by cleaning staff on Sunday morning inside the shaft with a suicide note in his pocket".

Mr Whig, 47, jumped into a deep vertical tunnel used for ventilation for the building.

He jumped from the 19th floor.

His suicide note said "I am taking my own life, no one is responsible. I am unable to cope. I am sorry. I am depressed. I see no way out except for suicide. yes, I am a coward. I should have faced life."

His father has been hospitalized with high blood pressure and other medical problems after hearing of the suicide.

Mr Whig is survived by his wife and three children.