A 57-year-old professor teaching at a college in Jabalpur was found dead in her residence on Friday afternoon, prompting police to launch an investigation.
Professor Pragya Agarwal, who taught botany at the Home Science College in Jabalpur, was discovered with cut marks on her hands and neck, with police saying they are probing the circumstances surrounding her death.
According to Additional Superintendent of Police Suryakant Sharma, authorities were informed about the incident by the professor’s domestic help, who arrived at the house for routine work.
On entering the home in Amber Vihar, the worker found Professor Agarwal lying lifeless in a room with blood scattered around. The police were immediately notified, and a team was dispatched to the scene.
Initial observations revealed cut marks on the deceased’s hands and neck, raising suspicions of foul play, investigators said. A Forensic Science Laboratory team was called to assist with the investigation, and a detailed crime scene examination was conducted. The body has been sent to the medical college for a post-mortem examination, the results of which are awaited to determine the cause of death.
“The police were informed about her death. Since the circumstances appeared to be suspicious, an FSL team was also called to the spot. A crime scene investigation was undertaken, and the body was sent for post-mortem. We are trying to get in touch with her family to get more clarity,” Sharma said.
Professor Agarwal was unmarried and lived alone in her home, police said. She had recently been transferred from Jabalpur to Damoh. Police inquiries indicate that she occasionally received visitors, including neighbours. The domestic help, who has worked for the professor for several years, told police she had been given a key to the house and visited two to three times daily to perform household tasks.
