Patna: The special investigation team (SIT) probing the death of an 18-year-old medical aspirant from Jehanabad will collect DNA samples from the arrested accused as well as other suspects identified during the investigation. The move follows a Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) report confirming the presence of semen traces on the victim’s clothing, which she is believed to have been wearing at the time of the incident.According to officials, the FSL submitted its biological findings to the SIT in a sealed envelope on Saturday evening after examining the seized clothes and generating a DNA profile from the recovered semen. Investigators said forensic evidence is now central to the probe, and further developments are expected once DNA matching results are available.The development is a crucial turn in the case related to the death of the medical aspirant, who was found unconscious in her locked room at a girls’ hostel in Patna on Jan 6. She later died on Jan 11 while undergoing treatment at a private hospital, after remaining in a coma for several days.“On Jan 10, family members handed over some of the deceased’s clothes to the police. The items were seized following legal procedure and sent to the FSL for examination. The laboratory’s findings have now established the presence of male semen on the undergarment believed to have been worn during the incident,” the Patna police said in a statement issued on Sunday.The statement further said, “DNA profiling of the same is being conducted by the FSL. Simultaneously, in the course of further probe, the DNA of the arrested accused will be collected along with the other suspects identified by the SIT during the course of investigation.”A senior official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said DNA samples would be collected from all identified suspects and compared with the profile generated by the FSL to establish possible matches. “After the post-mortem report pointed towards the possibility of sexual assault, the team is trying to identify the accused. The team is questioning several people and will take samples of those who came in direct contact with the girl when she was in Jehanabad and Patna prior to her death,” the official said.The forensic findings have reinforced the family’s allegations of rape. Earlier, the post-mortem report prepared at PMCH had stated that sexual violence could not be ruled out. The report referred to multiple crescent-shaped nail abrasion marks on the victim’s body, genital injuries and forceful penetration of the vagina, findings consistent with sexual assault. Following the post-mortem report, the police arrested the building owner, Manish Kumar Ranjan.The SIT has claimed that CCTV footage shows the girl arriving at Patna Junction at 3 pm on Jan 5 from Jehanabad. She reached the hostel by around 3.35 pm and largely remained in her room that day. Her unconscious body was discovered at about 4 pm on Jan 6 inside her locked room. Police said she was under continuous CCTV surveillance after her arrival in Patna, but investigators suspect that an incident may have occurred earlier, during her stay at home in Jehanabad between Dec 27, 2025 and Jan 5, 2026.Meanwhile, a Crime Investigation Department (CID) team, along with FSL officials, reached the girls’ hostel on Sunday morning and began its examination of the premises. The team, led by Bipin Choudhary, inspected the victim’s room and collected additional evidence as part of the ongoing investigation.Earlier, the SIT recovered a personal diary from the victim’s room, containing entries referring to intense stress related to the NEET, a family dispute and a past relationship. Empty strips of antidepressant medication were also found, raising the possibility of an overdose after which she may have become unconscious. Her mobile phone has been seized and sent for forensic analysis of call records, messages and other data to aid the probe.On Sunday, some hostel boarders visited the Chitragupt Nagar police station to retrieve their belongings. Following their request, a magistrate and police officials went to the hostel, and students collected their belongings from their rooms in their presence. One of the students said she had never noticed anything suspicious at the hostel. “The owner lives on the upper floor and we hardly see them. They have a separate entry and exit point. But after the matter was highlighted, I do not want to live here,” she said.
