A 25-year-old flautist from Indore, Madhya Pradesh, who was pursuing a postgraduate degree at a spiritual and cultural institute in Mulshi near Pune, has been discovered deceased in her hostel room, with authorities suspecting it to be a suicide. The Pune Rural police have initiated an investigation into her recent communications and financial transactions leading up to her death. Details regarding the incident were released to the media on Tuesday.
The deceased has been identified as Renuka Harshwardhan Likhite, a second-year Master of Arts student specializing in Music (Flute) at a spiritual and cultural education institution situated in Kolwan, Mulshi taluka, Pune district. Her body was found on April 6 in her hostel accommodation.
According to a police officer, Likhite had not answered calls from her family for two days and had missed both classes and other scheduled activities. Concerned, her family alerted relatives in Pune, who then visited the campus on April 6, where they discovered her lifeless body hanging from a window using a dupatta. Initial indications suggest the cause of death may be suicide, and preliminary post-mortem results support this theory.
The police have filed an Accidental Death Report (ADR), which is a standard procedure for any unnatural death, including potential suicides, accidents, or other suspicious circumstances. This report has been lodged at the Paud police station, and an investigation is currently in progress.
One officer mentioned, “We have submitted the deceased’s mobile phone for forensic examination. We are awaiting results and have identified several leads that we are pursuing. Our investigation will focus on her communications and transactions from the days preceding her death.”
Another officer noted, “Likhite came from a family of musicians in Indore. We have already spoken with her immediate family and are maintaining contact with them throughout the investigation. We have learned that she had performed alongside several prominent artists, including the renowned Hariprasad Chaurasia.”
