CHIKKABALLAPUR: A 26-year-old physiotherapist was found dead in a locked room at a homestay near Nandi Hills on Monday, while her boyfriend was found unconscious beside her. Police suspect he attempted suicide after killing her.The victim, Sai Surabhi of Jayanagar in Bengaluru, worked at Sri Sathya Sai Hospital in Muddenahalli. Her boyfriend, Sanjeeth Ali, 25, a native of Kozhikode in Kerala — a mechanical engineer who also drives a cab in Bengaluru — was admitted to hospital and remains under observation.Based on a complaint by Surabhi’s mother, Geeta, who alleged a love jihad angle, police filed a murder case against Ali.
According to cops, Ali checked into Nandi Skandgiri Heritage Homestay Saturday, though it was unclear when Surabhi joined him. The incident came to light Monday after the couple failed to check out. Homestay staff alerted police after repeated knocks and phone calls went unanswered.Surabhi went to rehab, but Ali re-established contact: MomWhen police broke open the door, they found Surabhi dead on the bed with a rope tightly wound around her neck, while Ali was lying unconscious beside her. Investigators recovered a diary and some medicines from the room. Police suspect Ali consumed an overdose of sleeping pills in an apparent suicide bid. Geeta and Surabhi’s maternal uncle Shankar Narayan alleged it was a case of “love jihad”.Geeta said Surabhi had joined Sri Sathya Sai Hospital about 10 days ago. She was staying at a rented accommodation in Chikkaballapur for work. She had told her family she would attend a Satsang gathering at the hospital Saturday and would stay there. The family had no clue that she joined Ali at a homestay.According to Geeta, Ali had subjected Surabhi to prolonged harassment and introduced her to drugs and alcohol, following which the family admitted her to a rehab centre. However, once Surabhi was out of rehab, Ali re-established contact with her. Narayan said the two had known each other since her college days at Dayananda Sagar. While the family opposed the relationship because Surabhi had complained of harassment and torture, she continued to remain in touch with Ali.Diary sent to expertsChikkaballapur SP Kushal Chouksey said police were investigating the exact cause of Surabhi’s death and why Ali lost consciousness. “Homestay records show Ali checked in on Saturday, but the caretaker is unsure when Surabhi joined him,” the SP said, adding that the diary recovered from the room had been sent to handwriting experts for examination.
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