Actress Pallavi Dey Found Dead, Partner Arrested

Pallavi Dey, who stars in the Bengali TV series Mon Mane Na, was found dead on May 15 in Kolkata, India. Her family suspected murder, and her live-in partner, Sagnik Chakraborty, was arrested on Tuesday. Dey was 25.

Authorities found Dey hanging from a ceiling fan, leading investigators to suspect suicide initially, reports Indian Express. Authorities said that she was rushed to a nearby hospital, where she was declared dead. “We are investigating the circumstances that led to her death. The actor’s body has been sent for post-mortem examination,” police said in a statement. Chakraborty told police he found their door locked when he returned home after leaving to smoke. He claimed he saw Dey hanging after breaking the door open.

However, Dey’s family suspected foul play. “Her partner had a registered marriage with someone else two years ago, and we came to know about this six months back,” her father, Nilu Dey, told the media. “There was another girl who he was close to, and it would often create trouble in their relationship. We don’t know who saw her hanging.”

Nilu later filed a murder complaint against Chakraborty with the police. Kolkata Police arrested him on Tuesday, reports Indian Express. Nilu said his daughter loved Chakraborty, and she showered him with expensive gifts. “Pallavi used to give expensive gifts to Sagnik on different occasions. They had three joint bank accounts,” Nilu said.

Chakraborty’s mother, Sandhya Chakraborty, told reporters his family was not happy with the “live-in concept” and thought they should not live together until after marriage. “We wanted them to stay together after marriage only. She was short-tempered and would talk rudely to us. So we did not speak to her very often,” she said.

Dey became a star thanks to the TV series Resham Jhapi and later acted alongside Sean Banerjee in the series Ami Sirajer Begum. At the time of her death, she was featured in Mon Mane Na, which co-stars Samm Bhattacharya, notes Times of India. Her death left the Mon Mane Na crew stunned.

“I’m in utter shock. We shot for the television show on May 12 and later had a chat with her. I still can’t believe the news,” actor Anamitra Batabyal said. Another crew member told Times of India, “Pallavi attended the shoot two days back, and we had no idea that she was depressed or disturbed about anything. I still can’t believe she is no more.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.