ADG, IG inspect hostel as SIT probes med aspirant death

Patna: After the formation of a new Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe into the death of a medical aspirant, ADG (weaker section) Amit Kumar Jain and IG Jitendra Rana on Saturday, along with other senior officials of Patna police, inspected the girls’ hostel where the 18-year-old girl was found unconscious on Jan 6.She was admitted to a private hospital and later taken to another medical institution on Jan 10 by her family when her condition deteriorated. She, however, died during treatment on Jan 11.The IG said the SIT team was probing the case from all angles and other technical aspects, including examining the CCTV footage of the hostel. “The Bihar police headquarters and the govt are taking the matter seriously, and the SIT was asked to crack the case at the earliest,” Rana said.The inspection of the hostel was done following DGP Vinay Kumar’s direction. The SIT, led by the Patna SP (East), was formed on Friday to conduct an investigation into the case involving the alleged sexual abuse and suspicious death of the medical aspirant.The autopsy, conducted by a medical board at the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH), stated that the victim was subjected to sexual assault and had several injury marks on her body, including her private parts.

The report also indicated bruises on her shoulder. The report clearly states that crescentic nail abrasions, or deep nail wounds, were found around the neck and shoulders. The development led to the arrest of the hostel owner, Manish Kumar Ranjan, to prevent tampering with evidence.According to sources close to the investigation, the aspirant, who hailed from Jehanabad and was staying in a Patna hostel, is believed to have died by suicide due to an overdose of sleeping pills.

“She died by suicide and there is no doubt about it. Possibly due to past and ongoing sexual assault, which led her to take the extreme step. There is hardly any chance that something happened there (at the hostel). There is a possibility that something happened at her native place.

We have also involved the Jehanabad police in the investigation,” the source added.“The matter was referred to AIIMS-Patna for further expert opinion, with documents sent on Friday, including all treatment records.

The private hospital where she died, listed poisoning as the cause of death, but the final opinion on the cause of death is reserved pending the viscera report,” the official said.The official further stated that CCTV footage from the hostel played a crucial role in the investigation. “The victim arrived in Patna from Jehanabad on Jan 5 and remained largely in her room or under camera surveillance thereafter,” the official noted, emphasising that no suspicious activity was observed.The hostel has 13 cameras, including a high-quality one with audio covering the lobby outside her single-occupancy room. The original DVR was seized by police. “The room itself was on the third floor, with a small grilled window making external entry impossible. The hostel’s single entry gate was locked from inside and had to be broken to remove the victim when she did not turn up for dinner on Jan 5 and breakfast the next day.“Nearby rooms have thin walls, ensuring sounds would be audible, further reducing the likelihood of undetected foul play. The victim’s cellphone search history revealed repeated queries about suicide methods, poisons, and medicines, dating back to Dec 24, including searches on Amazon just days before the incident. Three strips of sleeping pills were reportedly found by the warden and handed to the victim’s maternal uncle.

However, only one empty strip was provided to the police. We are trying to determine the source,” the sources said.On the allegations from the victim’s parents, including claims of offers of money from the hostel owner to withdraw the case, the official said the investigation found no evidence to support these claims and urged the family to provide any recordings or proof for action.The FIR was filed on Jan 9 by the victim’s father, alleging rape and murder.

The police said the victim’s family refused to register the case when the team visited the hospital on Jan 7. “But when the FIR was registered, we immediately sealed the room, the CCTV drive was seized, and the Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) examined the room,” the sources said.“We also cannot deny sexual assault did not happen to her, but we are not sure about the time and place of occurrence. Call details and messages show ‘something’, but details cannot be disclosed as the probe continues,” the police officials said.