Kin of IB officer demand probe into her death
The woman officer, resident of Athirumkal in Pathanamthitta district, was found dead on Monday after reportedly being hit by the Pune-Kanyakumari Express near the Chakka area of Thiruvananthapuram
The family of a 24-year-old Intelligence Bureau (IB) officer, who was found dead on the railway tracks near Thiruvananthapuram Pettah on Monday, has demanded a police probe to unearth the reason behind the death.
The woman officer, resident of Athirumkal in Pathanamthitta district, was found dead at around 9.30 am after reportedly being hit by the Pune-Kanyakumari Express near the Chakka area of Thiruvananthapuram. She worked with the emigration wing of the IB at the Thiruvananthapuram International Airport and was going home after duty when the incident took place.
“Prima facie it appears to be a case of suicide, based on statements of witnesses and the train’s loco pilot. We have started a detailed investigation. We will be checking her cellphone to find out who she spoke to or messaged before coming on to the railway tracks,” said the inspector, on condition of anonymity, at Pettah police station where an FIR for unnatural death was registered.
The inspector further said that a case of unnatural death has been registered.
Meanwhile, the family of the woman officer said she appeared to be “normal” and did not give any hints about planning to take her own life.
“We suspect there is a mystery behind her death. She called us on the phone on Monday morning and told us that she was going to her flat after finishing work. There was no need for her to go near the railway tracks on her way home. So we suspect that something ticked her off that propelled her to come in front of the train,” the officer’s father told reporters on Tuesday.
“Her phone must be inspected. There would be calls and messages. It will provide answers as to why she would do this,” the father said. The family has lodged complaints with the police and the IB.
The father also indicated that his daughter used to speak often on the phone to a male officer in her batch. “If there was something between them, it must be probed,” he said.
The woman officer, a forensic science graduate who joined the IB less than a year ago, came home to Pathanamthitta recently in connection with a local temple festival. “At the time, she appeared distraught for some reason. I thought she might be unwell. If there is anyone who abetted her to die by suicide, that person must be brought before the law,” her paternal uncle said.
The officer’s remains were cremated near her home in Athirumkal on Tuesday. She is survived by her father, a retired ITI principal, and mother, a government employee.
