Cuttack MBBS student found dead in river, police suspect suicide, family alleges harassment
Cuttack: In a tragic incident, a 28-year-old final-year MBBS student at Fakir Mohan Medical College and Hospital in Balasore was found dead after her body was recovered from the sand bed of the Kathajodi river in Odisha's Cuttack.
While the police suspect the case to be a suicide, an investigation is underway to determine the exact reason behind her death. The family members of the student alleged that she may have ended her life due to frequent disputes in her relationship.
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As per a TOI media report, the student had reportedly informed her parents that she was going to a relative’s house in Bhubaneswar. However, preliminary investigation suggests that she later reached the Trisulia Bridge in Cuttack on Wednesday night and allegedly jumped into the Kathajodi River.
The inspector in charge (IIC) of the local Barang police station, Biswaranjan Nayak, said, "As the water level in the Kathajodi is currently low, the body got stuck on a sand bed near the spot," he said, adding the residents noticed her sandals and later spotted the body in the morning.
They then informed the police, following which a recovery operation was carried out by personnel from Barang station and fire services department. The body was sent to SCB Medical College and Hospital for postmortem.
Her body was discovered early on Thursday morning by morning walkers near Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose Setu (Trisulia Bridge) in Cuttack. The locals first spotted an abandoned bag and a pair of slippers near the edge of the bridge, and later noticed the body lying on a sand bed in the shallow waters of the river.
DCP Khilari Rishikesh Dnyandeo said, "The woman was identified through documents recovered from her belongings. While preliminary evidence points towards suicide, we are investigating all possible angles and will not rule out any possibility."
Speaking to Odishabytes, his family members alleged that she was in a long-term relationship of nearly 15 years with a medical student at the same college. They claimed that she was suffering from mental and physical harassment.
The couple had reportedly planned to marry in 2027. The relationship, however, soured after another woman entered the picture, leading to frequent disputes and alleged harassment.
The family claimed that the constant harassment might have driven her to take the extreme step. They also suspected that her boyfriend, along with his female friend, could have also killed her and later dumped the body in the Kathajodi River.
The police have registered a case and an investigation is underway.
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