CHENNAI: A 31-year-old female doctor at a private hospital in Potheri died by suicide on Friday night, allegedly following opposition from her brother and relatives over her choice of partner in marriage.
The deceased was identified as K Aarthi, who was working as an anaesthesiologist at the hospital for the past year. She had lost her parents during her college days and was brought up by her elder brother Aravind Kumar, a doctor based in Chengalpattu.
Police sources said Aarthi was in a relationship with a 31-year-old orthopaedic doctor working at a private hospital in Kodambakkam. When she informed her brother about the relationship, the response was not favourable.
Her partner had also delayed talking to his family about the relationship, police said. Meanwhile, her relatives had begun searching for a marriage alliance, which she had reportedly opposed for the last four months.
Following a recent argument, Aarthi moved out of her brother’s residence and had been staying at a friend’s apartment near Sathya Sai Hospital in Thiruporur.
On the day of the incident, her brother Aravind, along with relatives, visited the hospital and asked her to return home. Police said this reportedly led to an argument.
Later that night, after completing her duty, Aarthi went into the duty doctor’s cabin and locked the room. When a nurse received no response from her, other staff were alerted. She was subsequently found unresponsive inside the room. Despite efforts to revive her, she was declared dead.
The hospital informed her relatives and the Maraimalai Nagar police. The body was sent to Chengalpattu Government Hospital for postmortem and later handed over to the ken. The Maraimalai Nagar police have registered a case under Section 194 of the BNS Act, and further investigation is under way.
(Assistance for those having suicidal thoughts is available on TN’s health helpline 104 and Sneha’s suicide prevention helpline 044-24640050)