Hyderabad renowned orthopaedic surgeon shoots self

Hyderabad: In an unfortunate incident, a 60-year-old well-known orthopaedic surgeon from Hyderabad allegedly died by suicide after he shot himself with a licensed pistol at his Banjara Hills residence on Monday, said the police.  

The doctor told his maid at home around 6 am to wake him up at 10 am and then give him breakfast. However, he did not respond to her calls from his room until around 10 am, police added.

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After waiting for an hour, his daughter and son-in-law and other family members were informed. A person entered the room through a window and found Khan lying dead on the bed with a weapon in his hand. It appears that the doctor shot himself dead, they said.

Family members took him to a private hospital where he was declared brought dead. The hospital authorities alerted the police officials since it was a medico-legal case. 

Dr Khan was the medical superintendent and head of the department of orthopaedics at Owaisi Hospital. His son is reported to be married to Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi’s second daughter. 

The incident took place between 6 am and 11 am on Monday. The police were informed of the incident at around 1.30 pm, as per a media report in the Indian Express. An officer said, "The first-floor room was locked from the inside and all the windows were closed. Prima facie, it appears that family reasons drove Dr Khan to take the extreme step." 

The police recovered a bullet he had used with a licensed 32-bore pistol from his room. However, no suicide note was found. According to Deputy Commissioner of Police Joel Davis, family and property-related disputes is reportedly the reason behind the doctor's actions. 

An autopsy report revealed that the doctor had put the gun in his right temple and shot himself. Marital disputes and protracted litigation are reported to be the reasons behind this. Speaking to TOI, police said, "Mazharuddin had been fighting civil and criminal cases following a marital dispute. His wife occupied the ground floor on a court order, while the doctor lived on the first floor. A case of suspicious death was registered." 

The Banjara Hills police have begun an investigation into the matter. A case under Section 174 of CrPC (police to enquire and report on suicide, etc.) was registered and the motive for his action would be known after investigation, the police said. A post-mortem was conducted, police added.  

Speaking to the media, Joel Davis, Deputy Commissioner of Police (West Zone) said that the doctor used a licensed weapon to shoot, however, they are yet to verify the ownership status of the gun.