A 38-year-old doctor from Andhra Pradesh died by suicide at her apartment in Hyderabad, with police saying she had been struggling with depression after her US visa application was rejected, news agency PTI reported.
The woman, identified as Rohini, hailed from Guntur district and had been living alone in Padma Rao Nagar. The incident came to light on November 22 when her family members broke open the door after she failed to respond despite repeated calls.
The alarm was first raised by her domestic help, who informed the family when Rohini did not open the door on Saturday morning.
Police said the exact cause of death will be determined by the postmortem report. Her body has since been handed over to her family.
A suicide note, recovered from the flat, stated that she had been battling depression and referenced the rejection of her US visa application, according to investigators.
Rohini’s mother, Lakshmi, said her daughter had long dreamed of moving to the United States for work and had been “eagerly waiting” for her visa approval. The denial left her increasingly distressed.
“She was a brilliant student and completed her MBBS in Kyrgyzstan between 2005 and 2010. Her academic record was excellent, and she had big dreams for her future,” Lakshmi told PTI.
She added that Rohini wanted to specialise in internal medicine and had chosen to stay in Padma Rao Nagar because of the libraries nearby.
Lakshmi said she had urged her daughter to continue practising medicine in India, but Rohini believed that the US offered more opportunities, including a higher income and fewer patients per day.
Her disappointment reportedly deepened in recent weeks, leaving her “mentally exhausted and isolated.”
Rohini was unmarried and had dedicated herself entirely to her career, her mother said.
Discussing suicides can be triggering for some. However, suicides are preventable. A few major suicide prevention helpline numbers in India are 011-23389090 from Sumaitri (Delhi-based) and 044-24640050 from Sneha Foundation (Chennai-based).
