Image of Mumbai doctor Payal Tadvi’s suicide note recovered  

An image of the purported suicide note, penned by a Mumbai woman medico before she hanged herself on May 22, has been recovered from her phone by forensic experts. It is expected to shed new light on the investigations in the case.

When contacted by IANS, Special Public Prosecutor Raja Thakare declined to comment on the matter as the case was before the court.

Gunratan Sadavarte, the lawyer for the victim Payal Tadvi's family, said on Friday that the image of the suicide note has clearly named the three prime accused medicos who were her seniors - Hema Ahuja, Bhakti Mehere and Ankita Khandelwal - currently in custody for abetment of suicide and other charges.

Tadvi, 23, was found hanging in her post-graduate students' hostel room at the BYL Nair Hospital on the evening of May 22, triggering an outcry.

"Besides, the suicide note also makes references to casteist slurs and atrocity committed on her (Tadvi) by the three accused. This revelation has been possible because we insisted on scientific investigation into the entire case," Sadavarte told IANS.

He said that the last five minutes of the victim's life were crucial when the accused were around her and they had allegedly deleted her mobile phone's data, which has now been recovered.

Experts believe that Tadvi may have clicked a picture of the suicide note to forward it to her mother, but later decided against it, though the whereabouts of the original note were not known.

The details were submitted to the Bombay High Court by the Mumbai Police last Monday, and thereafter the court ordered the investigators to get it verified by the handwriting experts.

Sadavarte said that the police have taken handwriting samples from the victim's family and the hospital authorities to match with the suicide note.

The three accused medicos have maintained their innocence and that Tadvi's suicide was triggered by her inability to handle the tough work pressures common in a government-run hospital.

After the prosecution informed the court that the probe will be completed within a fortnight, Justice Sadhana S. Jadhav posted the bail pleas of the accused to July 16.