Authorities in Maharashtra are currently investigating the tragic death of a 29-year-old doctor in Satara district, who is suspected to have died by suicide. In a poignant note written on her palm, the doctor named a police sub-inspector and Prashant Bankar, who was subsequently arrested by the police on Friday night. Investigators have stated that Bankar was reportedly in a relationship with the deceased doctor.
Prashant Bankar, identified as the son of the landlord of the residence where the doctor was staying, was taken into custody after the doctor was found hanging in a hotel room on Thursday night. She had reportedly left a note detailing her distress on her palm.
Who is Prashant Bankar?
According to police reports, the doctor served as a medical officer on a contractual basis at a Maharashtra government hospital in the Phaltan area of Satara. Her body was discovered in a hotel room in the town.
The note, which has been reviewed by media, alleges that a sub-inspector from the Phaltan City police station, Gopal Badane, had sexually assaulted her on multiple occasions. It also claims that Prashant Bankar subjected her to five months of mental and physical harassment. Bankar, identified as a software engineer, was apprehended late Friday night after being found hiding at a friend’s farmhouse near Pune.
An earlier report cited an officer stating that the doctor and Bankar were reportedly in a relationship that had recently soured.
Sources close to the investigation revealed that the doctor was residing as a paying guest in Phaltan’s Vidyanagar, where Bankar allegedly subjected her to harassment. Preliminary findings indicate that the doctor and Bankar had been in communication via phone calls and messages on October 23, shortly before the incident.
“We anticipate that crucial evidence regarding the events leading to her death will surface following Bankar’s arrest,” a police official commented.
Meanwhile, the doctor’s family has raised concerns, alleging that a local Member of Parliament (MP) attempted to interfere with the investigation through an intermediary. The police have not yet confirmed these allegations.
Phaltan police are currently interrogating Prashant Bankar, with authorities expecting further arrests as the investigation progresses.