Indian engineer dies by suicide after alleged bill fraud pressure; 2 arrested

Dubai: A 30-year-old woman engineer working with the Public Works Department (PWD) in Assam was found dead in her rented apartment in Bongaigaon, triggering widespread shock and outrage.

The deceased, Jyotisha (or Joshita) Das, allegedly died by suicide after leaving behind a chilling handwritten note accusing two senior officials of mentally harassing her to clear inflated and fraudulent bills.

Das, a Junior Engineer with PWD (Housing), had been posted in the district for nearly a year.

Her body was discovered hanging at her residence in Barpara on Monday. In her note, she named former Executive Engineer Dinesh Medhi Sharma and former Sub-Divisional Officer Aminul Islam, accusing them of coercing her into approving payments for incomplete construction work — particularly for a stadium project in Borsojgaon under the Gossaigaon Assembly constituency.

The suicide note, now a key piece of evidence, alleges that she was under constant pressure to pass bills without proper architectural drawings or supporting documentation. Despite being transferred, the two officials allegedly continued pressuring her remotely from their new postings.

She also named the project’s contractor and architect for failing to provide basic on-site and design support, leaving her to bear sole responsibility for the project.

“Work worth Rs10 million would be shown as Rs20 million,” her father told the media. “She feared that while she would be jailed for following orders, her superiors would just be transferred. She wanted to stick to the rules.”

Following an FIR lodged by her family, both named officials were arrested on charges of abetment to suicide.

Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma has called for a full investigation into the matter, promising a reassessment of the project and a thorough audit of the bills in question.

Police confirmed that a detailed inquiry is underway, with the stadium project and its cost estimates now under scrutiny.

Das’s tragic death has sparked deep concern across Assam’s engineering and administrative circles, shedding light on systemic issues and the mental health crisis triggered by workplace coercion.