Maharashtra doctor suicide: Sub-inspector held for rape after arrest of techie boyfriend

New Delhi: Two people, including a police sub-inspector, have been taken into custody in connection with the suspected suicide of a 29-year-old doctor from Satara, officials familiar with the case said on Saturday. The doctor, who was serving at the Phaltan Sub-District Hospital, was found dead in her hotel room in Phaltan on Thursday.

A note written on her hand accused two men: Prashant Bankar, identified as the main accused, of subjecting her to mental harassment, and police sub-inspector Gopal Badane of sexually assaulting her. According to Satara superintendent of police Tushar Doshi, Bankar, a software engineer and the son of the doctor’s landlord — was apprehended late Friday from a farmhouse near Pune, while Badane surrendered at the Phaltan Rural Police Station.

Investigators said the deceased and Bankar were in a relationship before her death. The incident has sparked widespread anger across Maharashtra following the emergence of her suicide note. Officials revealed that the doctor had previously complained to the police administration about being pressured by certain officers and a Member of Parliament to manipulate medical records and post-mortem reports, allegedly to help the police obtain custody of suspects in other cases.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis called the incident "deeply tragic” on Friday. Speaking to reporters in Mumbai, he said, "Whoever is responsible will face the strictest punishment. The concerned police officers have already been suspended. I urge the opposition not to politicise this sensitive matter.”

Preliminary findings suggest that the doctor and Bankar had been close for several months, though their relationship had deteriorated recently. "Their chats and call records show she was very possessive, and after Bankar started distancing himself, they argued frequently,” a senior police officer said.

Bankar’s sister, who requested anonymity, claimed that the pair had reconnected recently when her brother contracted dengue and the doctor treated him. "A day before her suicide, she made frequent calls to Bankar. We have handed over screenshots of the calls and messages to the police,” she said.

Add TV9 English As A Trusted Source

Investigators added that following the fallout between the two, Bankar’s father had allegedly sought Badane’s intervention in the matter. The case has also taken on political overtones after it surfaced that, in an earlier deposition before a committee probing her harassment allegations, the doctor had stated she was asked by an MP’s personal assistants to "cooperate” in official matters. Though she did not identify the parliamentarian, opposition parties have accused former BJP MP from Madha, Ranjitsinh Naik Nimbalkar, of exerting pressure on her — an allegation Naik has dismissed as "baseless claims.”