Someone opened Maharashtra doctor’s phone using her fingerprint to erase key data, allege kin

The relatives of the woman doctor, who allegedly committed suicide in Maharashtra’s Satara district last week, have claimed that someone used the victim's fingerprint to unlock her phone after her death and erased vital information from it.

They have also alleged that the ‘last seen’ status on the deceased doctor’s WhatsApp account showed activity on the social messaging app even after her death, raising suspicion that someone else used it.

The 28-year-old doctor, hailing from Beed district of central Maharashtra and posted at a government hospital in Satara, was found hanging in a hotel room in Phaltan town (in Satara district) on the night of October 23.

In the suicide note written on her palm, she alleged that Sub-inspector Gopal Badane raped her on multiple occasions, while Prashant Bankar, a software engineer, mentally harassed her.

The sub-inspector and the engineer were arrested on October 25.

Talking to reporters on Monday night, the victim’s uncle claimed that the woman doctor’s mobile phone was accessed using her fingerprint after her death and crucial data was deleted.

“We were informed about the doctor’s death by hanging, but by the time we reached the spot (hotel room), her body had already been taken to the hospital. We later found out that a suicide note was written on her hand,” he said.

“We suspect that her mobile phone was tampered with after her death. Before we arrived at the spot, someone had used her fingerprint to unlock the phone and erased vital information related to the incident. Her WhatsApp ‘last seen’ status appears to show activity after her death, which raises further suspicion that the phone was operated by someone else after her death,” he said.

The family has also demanded that the case be heard in a Beed district court to ensure an impartial investigation.

Dr Omprakash Shete, the state government’s representative coordinating with the woman doctor’s family, visited her native place on Monday evening and assured the kin that Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis would be briefed on the matter to ensure justice.

Her family also submitted a memorandum of demands to him.

Vanchit Bahujan Aghadi (VBA) chief Prakash Ambedkar and Congress leader Vijay Waddetiwar also spoke to the victim's family members over the phone and assured their support till justice is delivered.

Residents of Wadwani in Beed observed a bandh on Tuesday, demanding a probe by a special investigation team (SIT) into the alleged suicide of a woman doctor who hailed from the region.