Nagpur: Nearly two months after an 18-year-old daughter of a BAMS doctor-couple was found dead at her residence in Sawangi (Meghe), Wardha police on Tuesday (Feb 3) arrested the teen’s father, Dr Arun Wankhede, after fresh evidence, including handwritten notes and the alleged use of a helium gas cylinder emerged during a subsequent examination of the room by her mother Dr Sushma Wankhede. Dr Arun Wankhede was arrested from Umarkhed in Yavatmal district.
Dr Sushma lodged a complaint at Sawangi (Meghe) police station against her husband accusing him of abetting the daughter’s suicide. According to the FIR, Nakshatra, 18, was found dead in her room at the family home in Dreamland City area, on December 6, 2025. It was suspected she ended her life by inhaling helium gas through a thin pipe after wrapping a plastic sheet around her face. The death was initially treated as accidental. The investigation took a turn in late January, almost seven weeks after the death, when Dr Sushma approached the police with handwritten notes in English and Marathi recovered from her daughter’s study room. The notes purportedly written by Nakshatra described years of alleged verbal abuse, humiliation and mental harassment by her father. Dr Sushma alleged that her husband had tormented Nakshatra since 2021, repeatedly telling her she was not his daughter and calling her a disgrace. She also accused the husband of having extramarital relationships.Based on this material, police registered an offence against Dr Arun Wankhede, under Section 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, which deals with abetment of suicide.Under the guidance of superintendent of police, Saurabh Agrawal, and sub-divisional police officer Pramod Makeshwar, a team led by Sawangi police station in-charge Pankaj Waghode traced the accused to Umarkhed in Yavatmal district and took him into custody. His mobile phone has been seized and digital evidence is being examined.The FIR claims that the accused had ordered a helium gas cylinder, which was delivered to Wardha shortly before the incident. Police are treating both the cylinder and the handwritten notes as key evidence and have sent them for forensic examination.Dr Sushma is a professor at the School of Ayurveda, Sathya Sai University, Bhopal. Both she and her husband had earlier worked at a medical college in Wardha. Dr Arun had earlier worked in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. Nakshatra was pursuing her education in Wardha at the time of her death.Inspector Pankaj Gajanan Waghode, leading the investigation, said statements are being recorded and all material evidence, including timelines and procurement records, is being verified. Dr Arun was remanded in police custody for four days. He will be produced before the court on Friday.
