Patna: A 41-year-old doctor, Kanu Priya, died under mysterious circumstances in Patna on Wednesday night, prompting a police investigation into the cause of her death. Conflicting statements from her family and apparent physical injuries have cast doubt on initial explanations.
Dr Kanu Priya, a pathologist at the Indira Gandhi Institute of Cardiology (IGIC), was reportedly found unconscious in a bathroom at her residence on Road No. 5 in Rajendra Nagar. She was taken to a private hospital by her husband, Dr Mukesh, who claimed she had slipped and sustained a head injury. He later told authorities she had died of a brain haemorrhage.
However, hospital sources have indicated the possibility of suicide. According to insiders, a mark resembling that caused by a noose was found on her neck, raising questions about the circumstances of her death.
The couple ran a clinic together in Patna and were known in the local medical community. The incident came to light after the couple’s 15-year-old son, Sarthak Singh, informed his grandfather Ashok Kumar late on the night of April 29. According to Kumar, the boy said he had found the bathroom door locked. After repeated calls went unanswered, he alerted his father. Dr Mukesh and another doctor broke open the door to find Kanu Priya lying unconscious with a dupatta reportedly wrapped around her neck.
Ashok Kumar arrived at the Shastri Nagar police station around 2pm the next day to file a statement. “She was found lying in the bathroom, and a dupatta was wrapped around her neck,” he said. The family’s ancestral home is in Jagat Narayan Road.
Dr Mukesh comes from a family with a distinguished professional background. His elder brother and sister-in-law are both Indian Revenue Service (IRS) officers. Other siblings include a lecturer and a law professor.
While no official cause of death has yet been confirmed, the presence of both a head injury and neck marks has led police to register a case and initiate an inquiry. An autopsy report is awaited to determine the exact cause of death.
