Two mysterious deaths of two female employees of AIIMS Jammu in the Vijaypur area of the Samba district within just 48 hours have set off alarm bells, prompting Jammu and Samba police to launch a joint, detailed investigation into whether the incidents are connected.
The first unexplained death was reported on August 14; a female doctor posted at AIIMS Jammu was found dead under mysterious circumstances inside her car in the Rajinder Nagar area of Jammu late Friday evening, triggering a police investigation.
The deceased was identified as Dr. Vivek Pandita, wife of Dr Ashish, a resident of Barnai. She was reportedly found unconscious inside her car with a cannula attached to her arm. Her husband is working in a hospital in Himachal Pradesh.
After noticing the doctor inside the vehicle, locals informed the police, following which she was shifted to Government Medical College (GMC), Jammu. However, doctors declared her brought dead.
Dr Pandita was serving as an assistant professor in the Department of Paediatrics at AIIMS Vijaypur.
Police have initiated an investigation to ascertain the circumstances leading to her death. Chinore Police are also conducting the inquiry, while further details are awaited.
Barely two days later, on August 16, AIIMS staff nurse Priyanka, a resident of Hamirpur in Himachal Pradesh, was found dead inside a locked rented room in the Jamodia locality of Gagore village, Vijaypur.
The near-simultaneous deaths of two employees from the same premier medical institution have understandably drawn intense scrutiny. While police are actively examining whether any link exists between the two cases, investigators say no connection has been established so far.
Joint Probe, Multiple Angles
The Jammu and Samba police are working in coordination, piecing together evidence recovered from both death scenes. Officers are probing every possible angle — accidental, suicidal, or criminal — before drawing conclusions.
Samba ASP Garu Ram Bhardwaj confirmed that both cases are being investigated thoroughly and jointly and assured that no angle would be left unexamined in establishing the circumstances behind the deaths.
Investigators are now racing to reconstruct a precise timeline of both victims' final hours — tracking their last movements and communications in the lead-up to their deaths. Post-mortem reports, call detail records, and other digital evidence are expected to be central to the probe, offering potentially crucial clues to the causes of death.
Priyanka's Last Rites
Priyanka's post-mortem was conducted at AIIMS Vijaypur by a medical board. Vijaypur police informed her family of her death on Sunday morning; her relatives reached AIIMS Vijaypur, completed the necessary formalities, and by Monday evening had left for Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh, with her body for the last rites.
Caution Prevails
Officials have deliberately avoided speculating on the cause of either death, choosing to wait for forensic and post-mortem findings before reaching conclusions. With two AIIMS employees dead within 48 hours, the pressure is now on investigators to determine whether these are isolated tragedies — or whether a common thread ties the two cases together.
