The lifeless body of Abhijeet J, a 23-year-old fourth-year MBBS student at AIIMS Bibinagar near Hyderabad, was recovered from Pedda Cheruvu lake, about 2 km from the campus, on Thursday.

Abhijeet, originally from Kerala’s Thrissur district, had left his hostel on his motorcycle Wednesday and failed to return. Police traced his last known cell phone location near the lake and initiated a search. His mobile phone, footwear, and motorcycle were found at the scene.

M Prabhakar Reddy, the Bibinagar police officer, confirmed the case is being treated as a suicide. However, hostelmates and friends said they were unaware of any personal or academic troubles faced by Abhijeet. His family also expressed shock, having no idea about any reason behind such a tragic decision.

No suicide note has been discovered so far.

Expert divers retrieved the body and it was sent to the local hospital for postmortem examination before being handed to the family. Authorities have registered an FIR under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita and launched a formal investigation.

In a bid to combat such tragedies, AIIMS Bibinagar’s Department of Psychiatry started a suicide prevention helpline in 2022, aligned with WHO guidelines. The helpline offers a two-tier support system involving trained nursing officers and mental health professionals to assist individuals in crisis.