U-19 girl cricketer dies by suicide over alleged harassment

Hyderabad: A 17-year-old budding cricketer, Nandini Rathod, who was recently selected for the BCCI Under-19 team, died by suicide by hanging herself from the ceiling at her grandmother’s residence in Vikarabad town on Friday. Vikarabad police suspect that a youth persistently harassed the young sportswoman in the name of love and threatened her with dire consequences, driving her to take the extreme step.

According to police officials, Nandini, who harboured dreams of excelling at the national level, had been staying at her grandmother’s house in Vikarabad while attending regular practice sessions at the local stadium.

Originally hailing from Sangayyapalli village in Yalal mandal of Vikarabad district, she resided in the town to pursue dedicated cricket training while caring for her family members. Investigations revealed that an accused youth identified as Krishna had grown close to Nandini over the past three months and subsequently began harassing her in the name of love and marriage. Earlier, Nandini’s family members noticed the harassment and warned Krishna to mend his ways. Taking serious offence to the family’s intervention, Krishna reportedly issued severe threats to the victim.

On Friday, Nandini returned home from practice and hanged herself from the ceiling while her grandmother had stepped out for work. Family members later discovered her hanging and immediately alerted law enforcement. Police rushed to the spot, confirmed her death, and shifted the body to the Vikarabad Area Hospital for a post-mortem examination. Following formal allegations lodged by the grieving family, police registered a criminal case and launched an in-depth investigation into the harassment involving two young men.

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Mouli Mareedu

Mouli Mareedu