By SUNIL SONKER
Mussoorie, 15 Jun: The joy of a newlywed couple visiting Mussoorie turned to grief when the wife was found dead under suspicious circumstances in a homestay room on the Dhanaulti Road, here. The incident caused a stir in the entire area. Police have collected evidence from the scene, sent the body for post-mortem examination, and initiated a thorough investigation into the cause of death. On Sunday morning, at around 7 a.m., the police control room (112) received information that a woman staying at ‘Kiyana Homestay’ in Tipridhar (on the Mussoorie-Dhanaulti Road) was lying unconscious in her room and unresponsive. Upon receiving the information, the Mussoorie police and a 108 ambulance team rushed to the spot.
After examination, Rakesh Kumar, the paramedic accompanying the ambulance, declared the woman dead. According to the police, the deceased has been identified as P Radha Gayatri (27), a resident of East Delhi. She had come to Mussoorie with her husband, Soumya Sricharan. The couple had arrived in Rishikesh from Delhi on 13 June, and checked into the homestay on the Mussoorie-Dhanaulti Road at around 11:30 p.m.
The husband told the police that they had consumed alcohol during the night and gone to sleep around 3:30 a.m. When he woke up in the morning, he found his wife lying unconscious on the room’s floor. Blood was flowing from her nose, and there was no movement in her body. Seeing this, he immediately informed the homestay operators and the police.
Police and the field unit conducted a detailed inspection of the room. During the investigation, the deceased was found lying naked on the floor, while bloodstains were discovered on the bedsheet. Two empty liquor bottles and some food items were also recovered from the room. The Dehradun field unit has collected several crucial pieces of evidence and samples while documenting the scene through videography and photography.
The investigation revealed that the couple was married on 8 November 2025. The husband was employed at an IT company in Pune, while the wife worked for one in Gurugram. This trip was planned as a post-wedding vacation, but it turned into a tragic incident.
Given the sensitive nature of the case, the inquest proceedings (panchnama) were conducted in the presence of the Executive Magistrate and the Naib Tehsildar. The police have sent the body to Coronation Hospital, Dehradun, and requested a panel of doctors to conduct the post-mortem examination, which is to be videographed.
Upon receiving news of the incident, the deceased’s in-laws arrived in Mussoorie, while her parents are expected to arrive from Visakhapatnam late at night. Both families are reportedly natives of Visakhapatnam, Andhra Pradesh.
Mussoorie Station House Officer (SHO) Devendra Chauhan stated that the cause of death is currently unclear. The situation will become clear only after the post-mortem report and forensic analysis are available. The police are investigating the matter by considering all possible angles, including natural causes and health-related issues.
