Bhojpuri actress death case: Viscera & autopsy reports point to ‘murder’

Amrita’s body was recovered from a flat of Divya Dham Apartment under the limits of Jogasar police station area of Bhagalpur on April 27, 2024. The post-mortem report that was released in September this year had already pointed to the “strangulation”.

The Bhagalpur police on the basis of viscera report has claimed that the mysterious suicide of Bhojpuri actress Amrita Pandey alias Annapurna was as a result of “shock and respiratory asphyxia” caused by “strangulation” and there was no “common poison” found in the body.

Amrita Pandey

Now, the police is trying to unlock the iPhone of the actress as her last communications and possible evidence stored in the phone can unravel the mystery behind her death.

Amrita’s body was recovered from a flat of Divya Dham Apartment under the limits of Jogasar police station area of Bhagalpur on April 27, 2024. The post-mortem report that was released in September this year had already pointed to the “strangulation”. Based on this report, the police has filed an FIR against unknown persons.

Dozens of people, including the deceased’s husband, parents, friends, and relatives, were questioned after the incident. All of them claimed that the Bhojpuri actress had committed suicide because of stress caused by her declining career. Thereafter, the police registered an unnatural death (UD) case based on the family’s statements.

Bhagalpur city SP Shubhank Mishra on Tuesday shared this information while talking with reporters at Jogsar police station. “The viscera report related to the ‘murder’ has been received by the police. Report clearly indicates that Amrita was not given any poisonous substance. The post-mortem report is accurate, stating that the victim was strangled to death,” he added.

He further stated that police had earlier got a postmortem report, dismissed family members claim. The postmortem report suggested that the actress was strangled to death. Under the direction of the senior official, the Jogasar police turned the UD case as murder case against unidentified persons and the investigation was initiated on that basis.

“The reason behind the murder will be ascertained only after her iPhone is unlocked. Bhagalpur police will shortly sought help from FSL team to unlock the iPhone. After that police would question everyone regarding whom the actress was chatting with. If any chats/call records/WhatsApp messages were deleted by tampering with the mobile, they would be retrieved. Additionally, the police are trying to find out whom she had the most conversations with before the incident,” said an investigator, familiar with the matter.

Amrita, who married Chandramani Jangde of Bilaspur (Chhattisgarh) an animation engineer in 2022, was found hanging from the ceiling fan. She worked in Bhojpuri films, advertisements and animation projects. Although based in Mumbai, she had travelled to Bhagalpur in April 2024 to attend her sister’s wedding. While her husband returned to Mumbai after the ceremony, Amrita chose to stay back. Her family said that she was depressed and stressed about not finding enough work.

While the police did not recover any suicide note, they mentioned a cryptic WhatsApp status she posted before her death. It read, “Do naav me savaar thi uski zindagi, humne apni naav duba ke uska safar aasaan kar diya (His/her life was sailing on two boats, I made their journey easy by sinking mine).

She also posted good wishes for her sister and her husband on Instagram. “Congratulations you both wish you a happy marriage life,” she wrote in her post. Five days ago, she also shared a picture of herself in a wedding outfit. Her followers have been commenting on her latest post, expressing shock at her death.