- By Deeksha Gour
- Tue, 28 Oct 2025 05:32 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
Satara Doctor Suicide Case: The investigation into the death of a 28-year-old woman doctor in Maharashtra’s Satara has taken a new direction after police recovered her text conversations with one of the accused. The messages reportedly showed that she was distressed and hinted at taking an extreme step shortly before her death.
According to Satara police chief Tushar Doshi, the recovered chats show the doctor was in touch with both accused who are now-suspended police sub-inspector (PSI) Gopal Badane and software engineer Prashant Bankar. “The woman was in touch with Bankar before the incident and they exchanged messages. The probe is also underway into the rape allegations mentioned in the suicide note against PSI Badane and their joint locations and chats are being examined,” Doshi said.
The NDTV report cited Police sources as stating that, the doctor had stopped communicating with Badane in March this year but had continued to message Bankar until the day of her death. They also confirmed that she was present at Bankar’s home before she checked into a hotel where she was later found dead.
Officials said the doctor attended a Lakshmi Puja at Bankar’s residence shortly before the incident. During the event, an argument reportedly broke out between the two over photographs taken at the function. Following the disagreement, the doctor left the house, but Bankar’s father brought her back. However, she soon left again and checked into a nearby lodge.
“The call records of the deceased and the two accused reveal that the deceased was in touch with PSI Badane till March, and there was no communication between them after that,” said Maharashtra Women’s Commission chairperson Rupali Chakankar. “On Laxmi Pujan day, the deceased was at Bankar's house. Apparently, both had an argument over clicking photos, as the pictures were not properly taken. After the argument, the doctor left the house. Bankar's father went and brought her back home, but she left again to stay at a lodge,” she added.
Chakankar also said that the doctor sent text messages to Bankar that night, indicating she was on the verge of taking an extreme step, and she even called him before her death. The preliminary post-mortem report confirmed that she died by hanging.
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The next day, the doctor was found dead in her hotel room. A message written on her palm named PSI Badane and Prashant Bankar. In the note, she accused Badane of sexual assault and Bankar of prolonged harassment. Both men were arrested soon after.
Further investigation has brought to light that the doctor had lodged multiple complaints against police officers, including Badane, months before her death. In a written complaint submitted on June 19 to the Deputy Superintendent of Police in Phaltan, she alleged that the officers were pressuring her to issue false fitness certificates for accused individuals. However, the matter was not pursued further.
In response, Phaltan rural police filed a counter-complaint against her, alleging obstruction of a medical investigation. Friends and supporters have now accused the authorities of failing to act on her repeated appeals for help, saying that the negligence pushed her to take her life.