Patna: An investigation is continuing into the death of a student preparing for India’s National Eligibility cum Entrance Test (NEET) who was staying at Shambhu Girls Hostel in Patna, as police examine diary entries, phone records and family circumstances for possible clues.
A Special Investigation Team (SIT) has recovered a diary belonging to the student in which a line reads: “I am alone.” Investigators believe the entry reflects a prolonged sense of loneliness and has become central to their inquiry. Based on the contents of the diary, which includes references to family members, friends and acquaintances, the SIT has developed five working theories and is pursuing each in parallel.
According to officials familiar with the investigation, the diary suggests the student wrote about her friends with warmth and affection. In contrast, her notes about her family indicate emotional distance and resentment. The SIT has said it is particularly examining references that point to strained relations within the family.
Investigators believe the student may have been upset with her brother, with diary entries suggesting ongoing family discord. Police are attempting to establish whether these tensions had any bearing on her state of mind in the days leading up to her death.
Call detail records from the student’s phone have also been scrutinised. The SIT found that between 1am on December 25 and 4am on December 26, the student attempted to call her father three times, but the calls went unanswered. After failing to reach him, she sent a message to her mother via WhatsApp. She eventually spoke to her father later on the afternoon of December 26.
During searches at the family home in Jehanabad, investigators discovered that the mobile phones belonging to the student’s mother and brother were both broken. The SIT has raised questions about how both devices came to be damaged at the same time and whether this could indicate an attempt to conceal information. Family members have not publicly commented on this aspect of the investigation.
The SIT is also examining claims related to the student’s health in the days before her death. The family told police that she had been unwell and had informed them she planned to return home from Patna on December 27. During the journey, they said, she rested in the car.
Investigators are now seeking clarity on whether the student was given any medication after falling ill and, if so, what was administered and why. Police have noted that her condition reportedly worsened after this period. However, the family has categorically denied that she was given any medication.
The SIT has said the investigation remains open and that no conclusions have yet been drawn, as officials continue to analyse documentary evidence and statements from those connected to the case.
