The autopsy report conducted on Padmapriya, wife of Udupi Member of Legislative Assembly Raghupathi Bhat, has confirmed that her death was due to suicide by hanging. The police are trying to ascertain the reason behind Padmapriya's suicide.
However, Karnataka Home Minister Dr V S Acharya believes that depression may have driven Padmapriya towards taking this extreme step.
The autopsy report suggests that Padmapriya committed suicide between 10.30 and 11 am on Sunday. A doctor at the Safdarjung Hospital in New Delhi told rediff.com that it appears to be a clear case of suicide and there is no foul play involved.
The police are now questioning Bhat's childhood friend Atul Rao, who allegedly took Padmapriya to New Delhi. The Bhats and the Raos have been hurling accusations at each other ever since Padmapriya went missing.
Bhat and his family members insist that Atul had driven Padmapriya to suicide. However Atul's family believes that he is being made a scapegoat in the case and he is not involved at all.
The Karnataka police maintain that Atul has not been arrested and he is helping them with their investigations. According to them, they tracked down Padmapriya in New Delhi with Atul's help.
The investigation so far suggests that Atul had taken Padmapriya to New Delhi on June 12. He had rented an apartment in Dwaraka and left her there before returning to Udupi.
According to the police, when they broke open the door of the apartment, they found that the television was switched on and a Kannada news channel was playing on it. This confirms that Padmapriya was aware of the ruckus created by her disappearance. The police say that she was unable to bear this pressure and decided to take the extreme step.
On Friday, the police had found Padmapriya's abandoned car, which had bloodstains on it. The police believe that this may have been a tactic to mislead the police. They however add that further investigations will give a clearer picture of the entire incident.