82-yr-old woman jumps to death from 14th floor of apartment

Jaipur: An 82-year-old woman died after allegedly jumping from the 14th floor of a residential apartment in Jaipur’s Harmada area early Thursday while she was alone at home, police said.

Police identified the deceased as Laxmi Jain who lived with her daughter and son-in-law at an apartment in Harmada. According to police, the elderly woman had been suffering from prolonged illness and poor eyesight, which had left her mentally distressed.

Her daughter and son-in-law had travelled to Ajmer Wednesday for urgent work, leaving Jain alone in the flat. As a safety measure, the family had locked the apartment from the outside before leaving, police said.

Police said Jain allegedly jumped from the balcony of the flat at around 5am. Residents of the housing society spotted her lying unconscious and bleeding on the ground and alerted police.

A police team rushed her to Kanwatia Hospital where doctors declared her dead. “The preliminary investigation suggests that she took the extreme step due to prolonged illness and related physical difficulties. The flat was locked from the outside and evidence collected from the scene, along with findings of the FSL team, indicates a case of suicide,” an official said.

Police have shifted the body to the mortuary of Kanwatia Hospital and informed the family. Officers said relatives told investigators that Jain had been under mental stress for a considerable period because of her serious health condition and age-related ailments.

The post-mortem will be conducted after family members return to Jaipur, police said.