Medical aspirant’s death: SIT intensifies probe, CMD of private hospital questioned

Patna: After an extensive investigation and questioning, police probe has pointed that the 18-year-old medical aspirant died by suicide at a girls’ hostel in Patna, though the motive remains unclear amid conflicting findings and allegations by her family.

A dedicated seven-member Special Investigation Team (SIT) has been working non-stop to assemble evidence and resolve lingering doubts.

The SIT on Monday questioned Dr Satish Kumar, CMD of Dr Prabhat Memorial Hiramati Hospital, where the girl was admitted for three days, and her maternal uncle.

The team reconstructed the girl’s final movement, paying particular attention to the route between the hospital and Jehanabad, her native place, where she visited on Dec 26 and returned to Patna on Jan 5. She was found unconscious inside her locked room on Jan 6 around 4pm.

Statements were recorded from family members, classmates, and locals during the team’s visit to the village in Jehanabad on Sunday. The SIT was led by five women police officers, headed by station house officer Meneka Rani from Parsa police station in Patna district. Personnel from the local police station in Jehanabad also accompanied the team.

At the same time, technical scrutiny has intensified across multiple fronts. CCTV footage from various locations, including the hostel and surrounding areas, is being thoroughly examined; cellphone tower location data and call detail records (CDRs) are under detailed analysis; and the victim’s social media presence, along with other digital footprints, is being carefully reviewed by technical experts.

A senior police official, on condition of anonymity, said, “Every possible clue is being investigated to ensure no loopholes remain. The team is visiting all the places where the student visited and questioning people. The police are also trying to find out where the girl acquired three strips of sleeping pills, which were recovered from her hostel room. No arrests have been made so far.”

Forensic examination will play a crucial role, with the postmortem report from the PMCH already indicating that sexual violence cannot be ruled out, contradicting earlier assertions and prompting the escalation to an SIT. The police, however, has sought a second opinion on the report from AIIMS-Patna experts, which is awaited.

Separately, samples collected from the hostel room were forwarded to the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL), Patna, for detailed toxicology examination.

ADG, CID, Parasnath, said every aspect of the room was examined and all evidence was collected by the team. “This evidence is now being scientifically examined. The DNA report is expected within five to six days. We cannot share the report until the investigation is complete,” he said on Monday.

A 127-page medical report of the victim from the private hospital states that the student suffered a serious head injury, police said. However, the postmortem report prepared by a medical board at the PMCH makes no mention of this specific head injury.

A police official, while confirming that the medical report from the private hospital mentioned the head injury, said: “It is not clear how the girl suffered the head injury.” He added that the girl died by suicide, but the reason remains unclear. “As far as hint of sexual assault mentioned in the postmortem report is concerned, the investigation so far suggest that it did not happen in Patna and the hostel, as we checked the CCTV footage from the station to the hostel,” he said.