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Cops probing murder angle in woman Army officer's death

July 03, 2007 15:08 IST

Police is not fully ruling out murder theory in the death of a woman Army officer, who was found hanging in her official quarters on Monday, even as her mother seemed to suggest that pressure at work was worrying her.

"We are taking into account all ground evidence, circumstantial facts in the mysterious death of Captain Megha Razdan. The computer-printed and unsigned suicide note does not hold any value to call it a suicide," a senior police official told PTI on Tuesday.

The investigators are also not giving much credence to the 'computer-printed and unsigned suicide note', which was recovered from the room of Megha, who allegedly committed suicide due to work-related problems.

Megha (26) of 113 Engineering Regiment was found hanging yesterday from a ceiling fan tied to a bedsheet around 0730 hours at Kunjawani army camp, her official army quarters.

"Police is fully investigating into a possible murder of captain as per ground evidence and circumstances," the official said.

There were thumb marks on the neck and stomach, injury marks of struggle on her left leg and blood stains on her stomach, the official said adding the suicide note was typed in her laptop. But there was no printer in her house, he said.

"Where was the suicide note printed, where was it kept in her room? There were some ropes in her house, but why she chose to get hanged with bed sheet," the official said.

The couple had planned to organise a party at their residence on Monday for some select guests and army officers.

As per the un-signed note, she was committing suicide as she was unhappy with her life and wanted to leave the Army, but circumstances was preventing her from leaving the job as her family cannot pay off the money incurred her on Army training.

The suicide note also said that she was fed up with her seniors who were 'harassing' her often.

"These two things are also self-contradictory. But the real picture would be known only after autopsy in the Government Medical College Hospital," officials said.

Meanwhile, her mother Shailaja alleged that senior Army officers used to make Megha work till late night and did not even allow her to have food or sleep.

"Is this the way to my daughter? They used to wake her up for physical training at 5 am and did not allow her to have even lunch. They used to ask her to attend games, work for 2-3 days and then ask her to submit her presentations again," she claimed.

"They used to call her on Sundays also to work. How much more one can be pressurised," she said.

A team of police officers including Superintendent of Police (South Jammu) Zahid Manhas and Sub Divisional Police Officer (SDPO) Shiv Kumar Chauhan are investigating the case.

The Special Investigation Team of police would start recording statements of people in connection with the case, officials said.

Megha was to go on one-month leave on July 8 and was planning to go to Pathankote in Punjab on July 10 to visit her parents, Anil Razdan, an officer in BSNL and Shailja.

She was also planning to go to meet her in-laws in Kolhapur, in Maharashtra along with her husband.

It may recalled that Lt Sushmita Chakarvarty had committed suicide on June 15, 2006 at Northern Command headquarters at Udhampur and police was yet to complete its investigation.

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