Chandigarh: They travelled to work together, ate together and were often seen in each other’s company. The lives of two close friends — Preeti, 22, a Sector 25 resident, and Komal, 25, of Jhampur village in Mohali — ended 24 hours apart.On Wednesday afternoon, Preeti was riding her scooter, with Komal riding pillion, when a Himachal Roadways bus rammed into them on the Sector 23 slip road near Kisan Bhawan in Sector 35. Preeti suffered severe head injuries, while Komal sustained minor injuries.Police took Preeti to PGI, where she succumbed to her injuries during treatment on Thursday.Based on Komal’s statement, Sector 17 police registered a case against the Himachal Roadways bus driver, Shamsher Singh, under relevant sections of the BNS. Singh was later released on bail from the police station.On Friday night, after learning about Preeti’s death, Komal went to her friend’s Sector 25 residence to offer condolences. According to police, when Preeti’s family members were outside the house, Komal allegedly died by suicide.A team from the Sector 24 police post said no suicide note was recovered from the spot. After the postmortem, the body was handed over to Komal’s family for cremation.Police said the circumstances surrounding Komal’s death are being investigated.Police said both women worked at a private firm in Sector 22. Their families told police that the two were close and regularly travelled to work together. They also often ate together, and Komal was a frequent visitor at Preeti’s home.The two had also recently been involved in preparations for Preeti’s brother’s wedding, police said.The deaths, occurring within a day of each other, have left the families, relatives and acquaintances of the two women devastated.
