Doctor hangs herself in front of infant daughter

BANGALORE: A 28-year-old ayurvedic doctor was found hanging from the ceiling fan of her flat in Rajarajeshwarinagar, West Bangalore, on Thursday evening.

Kumuda Nandeep from Mandya is said to have hanged herself in front of her two-and-half-year old daughter. She was supposedly distraught over her doctor-husband's affair with another woman.

Kumuda's husband, Nandeep Bannappa, is absconding, police said. The possibility of foul play is not being ruled out.

The suicide came to light when Kumuda's in-laws, who stay nearby, came to see their son and knocked on the door. The visitors heard the child's wail and got worried as no one opened the door.

The couple then called their son Nandeep on his mobile, but there was no response from him either. "They asked the neighbours who told them that the doctor-couple would usually leave the door key on a window ledge. Kumuda's in-laws opened the window only to find her hanging from the ceiling fan by a sari, and the child crying," family sources said.

Kumuda's family filed a police complaint accusing Nandeep of murdering his wife. The couple worked in Shanti Hospital, Jayanagar.

Nandeep and Kumuda, who were college mates in Mysore, courted each other before tying the knot in 2008 in the face of stiff resistance from family elders. "The love marriage went sour when Nandeep got into a relationship with another woman doctor. Kumuda's father once caught them in a compromising position. The woman sent a written apology to Kumuda's father, and promised him that she would keep off Nandeep. But Kumuda discovered that Nandeep was continuing the affair; the couple regularly fought over the issue," a family member said.

On Thursday, Kumuda is said to have spotted a letter written by Nandeep's girlfriend. "An argument ensued and Nandeep allegedly beat Kumuda before leaving the house," police said.