22-year-old woman found dead in Surat hotel, probe initiated

A 22-year-old woman working at marketing firm dealing with health-related products was found dead at a hotel room in Surat’s Piplod locality Saturday, police said. The woman was sharing the room with the firm’s owner last night after attending a party with three other couples, police added.

Tanvi Bhadani, a resident of Gopinath society at Katargam area in Surat, had left her house on January 1 night with Pankaj Gohil, who runs the Bhavnagar-headquartered firm and is a family friend. They celebrated the New Year at the private hotel room at Piplod along with three other couples, police said. While the three other couples left after the party, Bhadani and Gohil stayed back at the hotel, they added.

On Saturday morning, Gohil found Bhadani unconscious on the bed, following which he informed her family members and the hotel reception. Bhadani was rushed to New Civil Hospital nearby, where she was declared brought dead by doctors, police said.

According to police, Bhadani was working at the Surat branch of Gohil’s company, a marketing firm dealing with health-related products, for the last 2.5 years. On Saturday, Umra police recorded the statements of Gohil and Bhadani’s family members. Police also visited the hotel room where the woman was found dead and took the statements of the hotel staffers.

The post-mortem, police said, has not found any injury marks on the body or presence of any poisonous substance. An accidental death complaint has been lodged in the case and a probe initiated.

Police sources said on December 30 and 31, Bhadani and Gohil had been to Silvassa where they stayed there in a hotel room along with three other couples.

Umra Police Inspector K B Zala said, “We have talked to the family members Bhadani and they knew Pankaj well. He is like a family member to them as both the families hail from Bhavnagar. There were no injury marks on the body and even no sign of struggle too. The viscera samples have been sent to FSL for laboratory tests. At present, it is difficult to say anything further. Bhadani was looking after the Surat branch of the marketing company run by Gihil in Bhavnagar.”

Zala added, “Bhadani’s father Dilip has told us that she had some gastric problems for the last seven years. They have not made any allegations against Gohil. We are also looking for the three other couples who accompanied the duo to Silvassa and later to the hotel in Surat.”