MBBS student found dead, cops suspect suicide

Cuttack: The body of a 28-year-old final-year MBBS student was recovered from the sand bed of Kathajodi river in Cuttack on Thursday, with police suspecting it to be a death by suicide.Deceased Chandrika Hembram, a native of Udala in Mayurbhanj district, was a student of Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital, Balasore.The inspector in charge (IIC) of local Barang police station, Biswaranjan Nayak, said preliminary investigation suggests that the woman had informed her parents that she was going to a relative’s house in Bhubaneswar. “But she came to Trisulia Bridge in Cuttack on Wednesday night and apparently jumped into the river. As the water level in the Kathajodi is currently low, the body got stuck on a sand bed near the spot,” he said, adding the local residents noticed her sandals and later spotted the body in the morning. They then informed the police, following which a recovery operation was carried out by personnel from Barang station and fire services department. The body was sent to SCB Medical College and Hospital for postmortem.DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo said the woman was identified through documents recovered from her belongings. “While preliminary evidence points towards suicide, we are investigating all possible angles, and will not rule out any possibility,” he said.Police have informed the family members of the deceased and further investigation is underway.