Sanjay Nijhawan, 46, is in a "stable but serious" condition in hospital after an apparent suicide attempt, having allegedly murdered wife Sonita at their Surrey mansion over the weekend.
He was reportedly found by his father-in-law, slashing his throat and arms with a knife at his newly-built home on the posh St George's Hill estate in Weybridge on Saturday.
"He was suffering from depression and was on anti-depressants," Ajit Prasad, Sonita Nijhawan's business partner, told 'The Times'.
Nijhawan, who had worked in London for Barclays and ABN Amro, was made redundant in 2013. Since then, he was reportedly working on low-paying temporary contracts.
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Another friend told the newspaper on condition of anonymity: "While he had no problems with money, he might have been anxious about where he was going to get a permanent position."
Nijhawan was arrested over the stabbing and strangling of his wife while their four-year-old son was in the house.
According to reports, the couple had spent three years building the two-million-pound home and had moved in only a fortnight ago.
Their neighbours described them as a seemingly happy couple and Sonita as a "loving and caring mother", who was a co-director of three care homes along with her fatherChander Parkashand brother Amit.
The Surrey and Sussex major crime team officers said their investigation continues.