The Satara police have arrested one of the two men accused in connection with the suicide of a woman doctor, whose death has sparked outrage across Maharashtra. The arrested individual, Prashant Bankar, is the son of the landlord of the house where the doctor had been staying.
According to the police, Bankar, a software engineer, was traced and detained late on Friday night from a friend’s farmhouse near Pune, where he had allegedly been hiding.“Police have arrested Prashant Bankar, one of the two accused in the suicide case of a woman doctor in Phaltan tehsil. He will be produced before the court today,” said Tushar Doshi, Superintendent of Police, Satara. He added, “The other accused, Police Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane, is still absconding, and efforts are underway to locate and apprehend him.”
The young doctor, who worked on a contractual basis as a medical officer at a government-run hospital in Phaltan, Satara district, was found hanging inside a hotel room on Thursday night. She had been serving at the facility for nearly two years. A note written on her palm in Marathi made serious allegations, stating that Sub-Inspector Gopal Badane had raped her four times, while Bankar had subjected her to mental and physical harassment over the past five months.
Investigators said the doctor had been living as a paying guest at a house in Phaltan’s Vidyanagar locality, where she came into contact with Bankar.“The two were reportedly in a relationship before it turned sour,” said an officer involved in the probe.
According to reports, the doctor and Bankar had been in touch via phone calls and messages on 23 October, hours before her death. “Crucial evidence about the events leading up to her death may emerge following Bankar’s arrest,” another officer noted.
The doctor’s family has alleged that political pressure may have influenced the handling of the case. They claimed that a Member of Parliament had attempted to interfere in the investigation through an intermediary. Police have not yet confirmed these allegations.
In response to the incident, the Deputy Director of Health (Pune) has ordered the formation of a three-member internal inquiry committee, which will include a psychiatrist. “The committee will look into the circumstances surrounding the incident,” said Dr Yuvraj Karpe, Civil Surgeon of Satara. He added that no official complaints or grievances from the doctor had been received during her tenure at the hospital.
The Phaltan police confirmed that Bankar is currently being interrogated, and further arrests are likely as the investigation progresses. Authorities continue their search for the absconding police officer, who remains a key suspect in the case.
