Elderly woman jumps to death over illness

Apparently depressed due to illness, a 71-year-old woman killed herself Saturday by jumping off the window from her 19th floor apartment in Powai here, police said.

The deceased, Mridula Bhattacharya, opened the window in her room, stepped on the ledge, and leapt around 9.30 am, an official said.

She shared the flat in Norita building with her son, daughter-in-law and grand children, he said.

"Prima facie, Bhattacharya took the extreme step as she was fed up with her life due to some illness. She also came to know that her close relative was suffering from cancer," he said.

Police did not find any suicide note in the flat.

The deceased's son works as a chartered accountant with a leading construction company, the official said, adding that all members of her family were present inside the flat at the time of the incident.

The incident came to light when a watchman of the building spotted Bhattacharya lying in a pool of blood, and informed her family members.

She was rushed to hospital, where she was declared dead, he said.

A case of accidental death has been registered with Powai police station.