- By Shubham Bajpai
- Fri, 12 Sep 2025 06:45 PM (IST)
- Source:JND
In a shocking incident, a foreign national pursuing PhD in Indian Philosophy at the prestigious Banaras Hindu University (BHU) in Uttar Pradesh's Varanasi died under suspicious circumstances.
The deceased has been identified as Filipa Francisca (27 years), a resident of Romania. She was currently living at a rented house at Garhvasi Tola under the Chowk police station area.
On Thursday night, at around 11:45 PM, the police received information that Francisca was not opening the door. A team from the Chowk police immediately reached the spot and opened the door by taking duplicate keys from the student's two foreign friends and the landlord.
When the police went inside, the student was found lying dead on her bed. The police investigated the room and started further legal action.
The body was sent to the mortuary house located in Shivpur. According to the police, the reason for the student's death could not be ascertained at present. It will become clear only from the post-mortem report of the body.
Police said that Philip Francisca was under mental stress for some time. Her friends said that she was away from her family and was feeling lonely.
The police have formed a special team to investigate the case. The team will thoroughly investigate all aspects of the case. Philip's friends are also being questioned to find out the reasons behind her mental condition.
Speaking on the possibility of suicide, the police said that they found no suicide note in Philip's room, making it unclear whether her death was a suicide or due to some other reason. Philip's friends said she was a brilliant student and was very interested in her studies.
The BHU officials said that they were taking the incident with utmost seriousness. On the tragic death of the foreign student, landlord Vishal Khanna said that some of her friends had come to meet her, and when the lock did not open, they contacted the police.