Chennai: A 30-year-old woman, mother of a 10-month-old baby girl, was found dead in mysterious circumstances in the bathroom of her apartment on Monday in the southern suburb of Pallikaranai. Her husband, a software professional, claimed that he found her dead on his return from work on Monday night. Arathi, wife of Raju and a native of Usilampatti, near Madurai, was working in the HR department of a construction firm. There were some marks on her neck.

It was her husband who reported the death at the police station. Raju initially told the police that her four-sovereign gold thali was missing, hinting that she could have been murdered for gain. He told the police that when he entered the house around 11 pm on Monday, the door was open and their daughter Rathi was sitting in the bedroom, crying. He later found his wife dead in the bathroom with foam coming out of her mouth. After visiting the scene, the police located a suicide note kept in a plastic cover along with her thali. The suicide note was hidden in her dress.

The police said she had left behind a suicide note addressing Lord Shiva, seeking his help to bring an end to her life. “Lord, I needed affection and not money. I want affection from my mummy and daddy. I am becoming weak day by day,” she said in her letter. She later accuses Raju of ill-treating her father and brother. “He was treating me well immediately after the marriage. But, later, he became very possessive and started ill-treating my family members. I only wanted love and affection,” she said in her suicide note.

The police said they were waiting for the post-mortem report. “It looks like she committed suicide by hanging. We are not sure how her body reached the bathroom. Somebody could have removed the body to the bathroom to make it look like a murder,” the police said, and added that they are questioning Raju. A magesterial inquiry has been ordered into the death of the woman.