In a major development in the sensational Puja Bharti death case, Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) AV Homkar has claimed that the victim had committed suicide. The case pertains to the unnatural death of a 22-year-old medical student named Puja Bharti Purve whose body was recovered from Patratu Dam near Ranchi on January 12.
As per reports, the police informed that they were no injury marks on her body. DIG Homkar has stated that the investigative team has reached the conclusion that the victim had committed suicide after probing several aspects of the case. It must be mentioned that Puja Bharti’s body was recovered from the dam, with her hands and legs tied up. The DIG has claimed that the victim had tied herself up using different ropes, prior to committing suicide.
It has also been revealed that the victim had gone to Hazaribagh to write her exams, one day before her death. Her family members informed the cops that they were worried after receiving no information about her till evening. According to them, her phone was also switched off. However, the cops have not been able to ascertain how Puja Bharti reached Patratu from Ranchi, the mode of transportation used or the whereabouts of her cell phone. As such, the police is conducting a further probe to unearth more details of the intriguing case.
Autopsy report revealed that Puja Bharti died of drowning
The autopsy, conducted under the supervision of a three-member medical board, had earlier confirmed that Puja died due to drowning. During the post-mortem, the doctors did not find injury marks on her body or private parts. The police had also sent the victim’s undergarments, vaginal swab, nail clippers, ropes and other items to the State Forensic Science Laboratory (SFL) to probe the angle of rape, as per a report in Jagran.
As per the CCTV footages and police investigation so far, Puja left her home in a normal condition and did not return even after 6 pm on January 12, when the main gate is closed. She had boarded an AC bus from Hazaribagh and arrived in Ranchi, although the bus driver failed to identify the exact location where he dropped her.
The incident, earlier believed to be a murder case, has triggered a social media outrage, prompting netizens to demand justice and fair investigation from Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren. She was a resident of Godda and a student at the Sheikh Bhikhari Medical College in Hazaribagh.
