Second Arrest in Phaltan Female Doctor Suicide Case; Police Sub-Inspector Surrenders, Software Engineer Held

Satara, 26th October 2025: The Phaltan female doctor suicide case took a new turn on Saturday night with the surrender and arrest of absconding Police Sub-Inspector (PSI) Gopal Badne at the Phaltan Rural Police Station. Earlier in the day, police had arrested software engineer Prashant Bankar, the son of the landlord of the house where the victim lived.

According to police officials, Badne had been absconding since the incident. He surrendered voluntarily late Saturday night, after which he was placed under arrest. Both Badne and Bankar have been charged with serious offences including rape and abetment of suicide.

The 26-year-old female doctor, originally from Beed district, was found dead in a hotel room in Phaltan on October 23. She was posted at the Phaltan Civil Hospital and had been working there for the past two years under a rural service bond. The young doctor allegedly took her life by hanging.

During the investigation, police recovered a four-page suicide note and discovered that the names of PSI Gopal Badne and Prashant Bankar were written on her palm. In her note, the doctor alleged that PSI Badne had raped her multiple times over the past five months and that Bankar had mentally harassed her. She also mentioned that a Member of Parliament and his two personal assistants (PAs) had pressured her to issue fake medical fitness certificates for accused persons brought to the hospital.

In the note, she wrote: “Two PAs of the MP came to the hospital. They pressured me to issue fake fitness certificates for accused persons who had not even come for medical check-up. When I refused, they made me speak to the MP over the phone.”

Events Leading Up to the Suicide

Investigators have learned that the doctor was living as a tenant in a flat owned by Prashant Bankar for the past eight months. On the night of October 23, she reportedly had an argument with Bankar, after which she found her flat locked. Unable to return home, she checked into Hotel Madhudeep around 1:30 am and booked a room for two days.

Police sources said she made several phone calls that night to both PSI Badne and Bankar. When she did not open her room door the next day, hotel staff alerted the police. The door was opened around 4 pm, and she was found dead.

After his arrest from Pune, Bankar was produced before a court that granted four days of police custody, despite the police seeking seven days. Later that night, PSI Badne appeared before the police and was arrested.

Family Alleges Pressure and Negligence

The doctor’s relatives have made grave allegations against local officials, claiming that she was under pressure to alter postmortem and medical reports of arrested accused. Her cousin said the deceased had earlier written to the Satara Superintendent of Police and the Deputy Superintendent of Police about the harassment she faced. “She had warned in her letter—who would take responsibility if something happened to her—but no one acted,” the cousin said.

Another relative said she was under immense stress due to harassment from her seniors and police officers. “She had told us several times that she was being mistreated and mentally tortured. She even said she might end her life if her pleas were ignored,” the relative added.

Political Reaction

The case has sparked outrage across Maharashtra. Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi described the incident as an “institutional murder,” alleging that those meant to protect citizens had committed a heinous crime against an innocent woman.

Background of the Victim

The deceased doctor came from a poor farming family in Beed. Her father, a farmer, had taken loans to fund her education. Her younger brothers supported her by working on the family farm—one even giving up his own education so she could pursue medicine. She completed her MBBS from Jalgaon Medical College in 2022 and began working at the Phaltan Sub-District Hospital under the state’s rural service scheme. Only one month remained for her service bond to end when she took the drastic step.

Controversy Over Relationship Claims

In a new twist, Prashant Bankar’s sister claimed that the deceased doctor wanted to marry Prashant, but he had refused. The two had reportedly known each other for about a year. The claim has added another layer of complexity to the case.

Meanwhile, police continue to investigate the roles of all accused, including verifying the alleged involvement of the MP and his aides mentioned in the suicide note. The case has intensified demands for systemic accountability in cases involving harassment of women professionals in government service.