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Maharashtra doctor suicide: Prashant Bankar, son of deceased's landlord, arrested
Prashant Bankar, a software engineer, was reportedly found hiding at a friend’s farmhouse near Pune and was taken into custody late Friday night.
Satara police have arrested one of the two accused — Prashant Bankar — the son of the landlord of the house where the 29-year-old Maharashtra doctor, who died by suicide on Thursday and had left a note on her palm, lived, police said.
According to the police officers, the doctor was posted as a medical officer in a Maharashtra government-run hospital in Satara’s Phaltan area on a contractual basis and was found hanging inside a hotel room in the town on Thursday night.
A note written on her palm in Marathi alleged that Phaltan City police station sub-inspector Gopal Badane had raped her four times, and that her landlord’s son, Prashant Bankar, physically and mentally harassed her for five months. HT has seen the note.
Bankar, a software engineer, was reportedly found hiding at a friend’s farmhouse near Pune and was taken into custody late Friday night.
“Police arrested Prashant Bankar, one of the two accused in the suicide case of a woman doctor in Phaltan tehsil. He will be produced in court today. The other accused, Police Sub-Inspector Gopal Badne, is still absconding, and a search is underway to nab him,” Superintendent of Police (SP) at Satara Tushar Doshi said.
Investigators said the doctor had been living as a paying guest at a house in Phaltan’s Vidyanagar, where Bankar allegedly subjected her to mental and physical harassment. "The two were reportedly in a relationship before it turned sour," an officer said.
Preliminary probe has revealed that the doctor and Bankar were in contact through phone calls and messages on October 23, shortly before the incident. “Crucial evidence about the events leading up to her death may emerge following Bankar’s arrest,” an officer said.
Meanwhile, the doctor’s family has alleged political interference in the case, claiming that a local Member of Parliament (MP) attempted to influence the investigation through an intermediary. Police have not confirmed these claims.
The Phaltan police said Bankar is being interrogated, and further arrests are likely as the investigation continues.
Civil surgeon of Satara Yuvraj Karpe said the deputy director of health (Pune) has ordered the formation of a three-member committee — including a psychiatrist — to conduct an internal inquiry into the incident. He added that no official complaints or grievances from the doctor had been received during her tenure.
If you need support or know someone who does, please reach out to your nearest mental health specialist. Helplines: Aasra: 022 2754 6669; Sneha India Foundation: +914424640050 and Sanjivini: 011-24311918, Roshni Foundation (Secunderabad) Contact Nos: 040-66202001, 040-66202000, ONE LIFE: Contact No: 78930 78930, SEVA: Contact No: 09441778290
