Actress Pratyusha Banerjee has reportedly committed suicide. The 24-year-old actress, who was also a popular contestant in the reality show 'Bigg Boss', hanged herself from a fan at her Kandivali residence but was detected and taken to the Kokilaben Ambani Hospital where she succumbed.
However, no suicide note was found from the flat, a police officer said, adding the exact cause of the death, which occurred around afternoon, will be known only after an autopsy is conducted.
According to rumors, Pratyusha Banerjee took her life, because she learnt that her boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh secretly married someone, breaking her heart. It is also heard that he dropped her body off at the hospital and absconded with her phone — the only link connecting him to her death.
Her friends and colleagues Shashank Vyas, Gurmeet Choudhary, Debina Bonnerjee and several others were spotted at the hospital. It seems the actress hung herself at 4-5 p.m. when there was no one at home. Singh spotted her and brought her home.
Reason for the extreme step was not yet known, but Banerjee was reportedly facing problems in her relationship with boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh. Her last status message on Whatsapp read, "Marke bhi muh na tuzse modana" (even after death won't be turning my face away from you) with a smiley. Pratyusha and her boyfriend Rahul Raj Singh, who had appeared on the TV show 'Power Couple' recently, had been according to the rumour mills facing some relationship problems.
Mumbai Police spokesperson Dhananjay Kulkarni, deputy commissioner of police, as well as officials from Kokilaben hospital confirmed the news of her death. Her body will be sent to Cooper post mortem centre. He said that the hospital had sent a report on the Jamshedpur-born actress's death.
According to the officials at Kokilaben Hospital, she was brought to the emergency room by a relative by around 6 pm. The doctors then carried out an ECG, but did not get a pulse. They finally declared her dead and informed the police who arrived at around 8.30 pm to conduct the panchnama.
The actress made her debut on TV with "Balika Vadhu" as Anandi. She gained immense popularity and stardom with the show. Almost a few years into the show, the actress started falling ill too often and was asked to leave. The actress cited that her mother was too sick and needed her care; hence, she quit the show and walked out. She was replaced by Toral Rasputra.
She then signed up for "Bigg Boss 7" for a hefty sum. The actress became friends with Kamya Punjabi through this stint and later went on to become the brand face of Kamya's BCL team. She was also seen on "Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5," and, while everyone thought her popularity would take her to the end, the actress was ousted soon. Banerjee was next seen in "Sasural Simar Ka," where, for the first time, Pratz played the negative role of a witch, aka Daayan. Her last stint was "Power Couple" with her beau, Singh.
A source reveals that her friends were not too happy with her choice. They didn't get the right vibe from Singh, and, in the process, avoided her. Before Singh, Pratz was dating Makrand Malhotra. Sources claim that their relationship was very violent. The actress had even lodged a complaint against Malhotra at the police station for following and harassing her after the breakup. During her stint on "Power Couple," the actress confessed to Mahek Chahal, her co-contestant, that she was planning to marry Singh by March 2016.
The case has been registered under Section 174 of CrPC.