The investigation into the suicide of Payal Tadvi in her hostel room last week was handed over to the Mumbai Police Crime Branch on Thursday.
The second year resident doctor with the BYL Nair Hospital took the extreme step on May 22 this year.
The Agripada police went on to arrest three of her seniors, Dr. Hema Ahuja, Dr. Bhakti Mehare and Dr. Ankita Khandelwal, charging them with abetting suicide under the Indian Penal Code as well as relevant sections of the Maharashtra Prohibition of Ragging Act and the Atrocities Act.
Advocate Nitin Sarpute, who is representing Dr. Tadvi's family in the case, said he had met Shiv Sena Member of the Legislative Assembly Neelam Gorhe and requested that the case be transferred either to the Central Bureau of Investigation or the Crime Branch.
A statement on Ms. Gorhe’s official Twitter handle on Thursday said: “As per my demand, Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis has transferred the Dr. Payal Tadvi suicide case to the Crime Branch. Senior lawyer Nitin Satpute had raised the point with me. [Mumbai Crime Branch chief] Santosh Rastogi has informed me that the case has been transferred to the Crime Branch.”
Mumbai Police spokesperson DCP Manjunath Singe confirmed the development.
Sources said the process of handing over the paperwork as well as the three arrested accused had already been initiated and would be completed by Thursday night.
Meanwhile, officers with the Agripada police recorded the detailed supplementary statements of Dr. Tadvi's family members, including her mother Abeda, on Wednesday evening. Advocate Satpute had on Wednesday, during the remand hearing of the three accused, alleged that the death could be murder.
“Statements from the family members as well as other inquiries conducted so far do not point to the death being anything other than suicide,” an officer who is part of the investigating team said.
