Girl Found Hanging In Hotel In Bhubaneswar Died Of Asphyxiation; Viscera Report Awaited

Bhubaneswar: The postmortem report of the girl, who was found dead under mysterious circumstances in a hotel room in Bhubaneswar on Saturday evening, revealed that she had died of asphyxiation.

Some reports suggested she had taken some intoxicants four to five hours before her death and was under mental duress. Her viscera report is awaited.

On Monday, police questioned a male friend of the girl for over 2-3 hours. The male friend later told the media that they have not been in touch for past 20 days after their break up but added that it is unlikely that she would commit suicide. He further said that she had arrived in the city on July 30 while her father mentioned the date August 3. “Where did he spent those 3 days and why did she check into the hotel on the fourth day? My videos are being made viral while I doubt another person with whom she stayed for 3 days,” he said, adding that her call detail record (CDR) should be examined.

So far, 12 persons, including bar employees and family members, have been grilled in connection with the case and their statements have been recorded under Section 161 of the CrPC. Police are also examining the footage of CCTV cameras at the hotel.

The girl, identified as Subhalaxmi Sahu of Kuabagh Sahi in Bhadrak district, was found hanging in room no. 205 of a hotel near Laxmisagar Square on Cuttack-Puri road here on August 5. The Plus-II second year student of Rama Devi Higher Secondary School had reportedly checked into the hotel at around 3.20 pm on August 4.

The following day, the girl’s family alleged that she was murdered and her body was hanged to pass it off as suicide. They had suspected involvement of some employees of the hotel in the incident.