Doctor with a/c in scam-hit PMC Bank kills self;cops deny link

A 39-year-old doctor having an account with scam-hit Punjab and Maharashtra (PMC) Bank allegedly committed suicide at her residence in the metropolis' Versova area, police said on Tuesday.

An official, however, said police "did not think" the suicide was related to the crisis at PMC Bank and financial woes it had subjected thousands of depositors to.

Some officials of the bank are accused of colluding with private firm HDIL to disburse loans fraudulently that ultimately caused a loss of Rs 4,355 crore to the lender, leaving depositors unable to withdraw large sums and in danger of losing their savings.

Nivedita Bijlani (39), a doctor staying with her father in Versova's Model Town area, consumed a heavy dose of sleeping pills on Monday night, the official said.

"The cause of the suicide is yet to be ascertained. She had an account in PMC Bank but we don't think it (death) was related to the crisis in the bank," he said.

Bijlani was suffering from depression for the past few years and had reportedly tried to commit suicide in March last year in the United States, he said.

She was practising medicine in the USA and had a 17-year-old daughter from an earlier marriage and an 18-month old-son from her second marriage to an American national, the official informed.

An accidental death case was registered at Versova police station, he added.