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Doctor was in relationship with Bankar before it soured, probe reveals
According to a senior police officer involved in the probe, the two had been close for several months, but the relationship reportedly turned sour in recent weeks, leading to tensions between them
Investigations into the death by suicide case of 29-year-old woman doctor posted at the Phaltan Sub-District Hospital has revealed that she was in a relationship with Prashant Bankar, a software engineer and son of her landlord, months before her death.
According to a senior police officer involved in the probe, the two had been close for several months, but the relationship reportedly turned sour in recent weeks, leading to tensions between them. The deceased doctor was staying as a tenant in a property owned by Bankar’s father.
Bankar’s sister, who urged not to be named, claimed that the doctor and her brother came closer again in the last month when Prashant was suffering from dengue and the same doctor treated him. “A day before her death by suicide, she made frequent and desperate calls to Prashant. We have handed over all screenshots of calls and messages of the doctor to the police and the truth will come out soon,” she said.
Police said that following the fallout, Bankar’s father allegedly sought help from sub-inspector Gopal Badane, who, like the deceased, hailed from Beed district.
A senior police officer said, “According to the primary probe, the deceased and Bankar were in a relationship. Their chats and call records show she was very possessive, and after Bankar started distancing himself, frequent arguments took place.”
Police sources confirmed that both were unmarried and had exchanged over 150 calls since January this year. As Bankar began avoiding her, his father reportedly contacted Badane, who was known to both families.
Late on Friday, Satara police arrested Bankar from a farmhouse near Pune. His sister, however, alleged that her father and brother had been detained unlawfully and Prashant surrendered voluntarily.
According to Bankar’s sister, Prashant had come home to Phaltan for eight days in October. After he returned to Pune, she proposed to him for marriage through a message. But he told her that he didn’t have such feelings and saw her as an elder sister.
She questioned why the doctor had not mentioned any harassment to her parents during their recent visit to Phaltan during Laxmi Poojan. “My brother refused her proposal, and out of anger, she mentioned his name in the suicide note,” she claimed.
The sister also recalled, “The doctor and I became good friends while she stayed with us. She used to say her government job was very stressful, though I told her she was lucky to have it.”
Sushant Bankar, brother of Prashant, has denied allegations of harassment in the doctor’s death by suicide case. He claimed that the deceased doctor had been staying in their rented apartment for the past year and was emotionally disturbed in recent weeks.
“If my brother had harassed her, then how did she celebrate Diwali with our family? We even have photographs of it,” he said, claiming that his brother had informed him that the doctor had threatened to end her life.
Investigators suspect that the strained relationship and the involvement of Badane may have contributed to the doctor’s distress. Police are probing the sequence of events leading to her death by suicide and Badane’s alleged role.
