BAMS student death case: After autopsy suggested ‘strangulation’, Ghaziabad police register FIR for murder

The autopsy report contradicted the police’s earlier assumption of suicide and suggested that the woman was strangled to death and later hanged from the grille to simulate suicide

The Ghaziabad police have filed a first information report (FIR) for murder in connection with the death of a 23-year-old BAMS (Bachelor of Ayurvedic Medicine and Surgery) student, whose body was discovered hanging from a ventilation grille in her paying guest (PG) accommodation in Modinagar on June 15. The decision to file the FIR was influenced by autopsy results that suggested “strangulation” as the cause of death. Although initial findings suggested death by suicide, the police have mobilised several teams to investigate the death due to the conflicting autopsy results.

(Representative Image)

The deceased woman was in her third year of BAMS studies at a private medical college in Modinagar and resided at a private PG accommodation in the Surya Vihar locality. She was from Kannauj in Uttar Pradesh.

According to police, the woman died hanging from a dupatta tied to the ventilation grilles above her room’s door on June 14. Her friends said they discovered her body the following afternoon. The police noted that the room door was locked from the inside, initially pointing to suicide. They also said that CCTV footage showed that the woman entered her building at 9.30pm on June 14 after dinner. Her call records indicate that she communicated with family and friends until 10.22pm.

However, the autopsy report contradicted the police’s earlier assumption of suicide and suggested that the woman was strangled to death and later hanged from the grille to simulate suicide.

“The findings from the autopsy and our investigation are starkly contrasting. After receiving the autopsy report, we registered an FIR for murder against unidentified individuals based on a complaint from the deceased woman’s family. We have engaged several teams to investigate the case and are questioning several people connected to the student for additional information,” said Ravi Kumar, deputy commissioner of police (rural).

CCTV footage from the building’s entrance confirmed the woman’s entry at 9.30pm. However, no outsiders were seen entering the premises, said investigators.

“She had just passed the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (Undergraduate) or Neet, and the results were declared on June 14, the day of her death. She was elated with her results, and nothing suggested she would die by suicide. We suspect the role of her former PG roommate and two friends who found her on June 15,” said the deceased woman’s father on Monday.

Her father has alleged the role of an “insider” from the building, her former roommate and two male friends.

“We firmly believe she was murdered, potentially because she a secret about her roommate and the two male friends. The room’s door is a grille door and could be unlatched from the outside. The autopsy supports the theory of murder, and I will pursue justice for my daughter,” he added.

Police officers associated with the case said a diary was recovered from the deceased woman’s room, which investigators are analysing.