London, July 29, 2004
Nabanita Sircar
Hindustan Times
An Indian surgeon murdered his wife before jumping to his death from
a bridge with their two-year-old son after becoming convinced she was
having an affair with a fellow doctor.
Dr Jayaprakash Chiti, 41, from Hyderabad, is thought to have flown
into a rage of jealousy after discovering emails between his wife Anupama,
36, a consultant radiologist, and a former colleague.
Dr Chiti, a senior houseman, confronted his wife in the early hours
of February 1 before stabbing her to death with a kitchen knife in the
£250,000 family home. Dr Chiti had repeatedly slashed his wife
before killing her with two stabbing blows to the chest, the hearing
heard.
It is thought that he taunted and threatened her with two kitchen knives,
slashing and stabbing at her chest and arms before giving the fatal
blows. He then drove with his son Pranau to the notorious 160ft Orwell
Bridge over the River Orwell at Ipswich, Suffolk, and jumped to death
clutching his son Pranau. Both were discovered dead on the riverbed.
The couple's older son, Ani, 11, who was sleeping in his room was unharmed.
An inquest into the three deaths at Ipswich Crown Court heard on Wednesday
explained how the Chitis, who had an arranged marriage, had qualified
as doctors in India before moving to Britain to further their careers
five years ago.
Mrs Chiti, who retained her maiden surname Damera moved to Nottingham
where she trained in radiology to become a breast cancer specialist
at the Queen's Medical Centre. Dr Chiti and Ani soon joined her. In
February 2001, the couple had Pranau. Last year she moved to Ipswich
Hospital at a £50,000-a-year post.
The inquest heard that all was not well in their marriage and Mrs Chiti
planned to leave the family home in the suburb of Rushmere St Andrew.
In the emails, and in conversations with colleagues, the court heard
that Mrs Chiti was unhappy with her arranged marriage to Mr Chiti and
had mentioned separation to friends. It is thought she told Mr Chiti
that she wanted to separate shortly before he went on a trip to visit
family in India in January.
But before she announced her decision Mr Chiti, he confronted her with
e-mails allegedly exchanged with Dr William Dunn, a former colleague
at QMC. One, apparently sent on January 30, two days before the murders,
from Mrs Chiti to Dr Dunn read "How many ever times I tell you
how sexy your voice is. It is once too less. Heard your voice on the
answer phone. Makes me want to make mad passionate love to you. Love
to you Anu."
Dr Dunn, whose middle name is Keith, replies "Feel free, Love
Keith." Another e-mail from Dr Dunn, dated January 12 this year
reads "Anu, I want you. Keith."
Dr Dunn, who is married to an Indian woman and has a 13-year-old daughter,
was not asked whether he had been having an affair as he gave evidence.
But he told the hearing Mrs Chiti had confided that she was unhappy
about her marriage.
The doctor, a consultant radiologist at the QMC, where he was among
a team of senior staff who trained Mrs Chiti, said he had had a long,
friendly relationship with her. He said "We had a lot of conversations
on the phone and e-mail. She confided in me a lot of details about her
marriage and how she felt about it.
"She expressed to me although Jaya was a good man and she was
grateful to him she was not happily married. She felt they weren't a
good match to start with and as the years went by they had grown apart.
In the last week of her life she told me that she wanted to separate."
Asked by Mr Chiti's cousin, Ramana Dhannapuneni, whether Mrs Chiti
had ever told him if she was in love with another man, Dr Dunn replied
"She never said anything like that to me. She tended to say things
in a round-about way. The family life she outlined to me was that she
wanted to live in Ipswich with her children, and Jaya would live in
a house nearby."
Recording verdicts of unlawful killing on the deaths of Anupama and
Pranau, and a verdict of suicide on Jaya Chiti, Suffolk Coroner Peter
Dean told the hearing "If Jaya had read those [e-mails] he may
have developed the perception that there may have been more than a friendship
going on.
"That may have been the spark that set this tragedy off but to
say any more than that will be speculation."
In the days leading up to the murders, Mr Chiti stripped all money
out of a number of bank accounts and stored the balance in one joint
account. He also sent a package to a family friend containing jewellery
and a note asking for the gold to be distributed among his sister and
brother's children.
Mr Dean said "Whatever happened happened within a very short period
of time. We have the possibility of some premeditation, shown by the
bank accounts and the sending of the articles of jewellery suggesting
there may be some thoughts of what might happen next."
After the hearing, Dr Dhannapuneni said there should have been a deeper
investigation into the relationship between Dr Dun and Anupama, adding
"It was this that we feel is responsible for the terrible tragedy
that followed."
In a statement read to the court, Anupama's brother, Ashok Damera,
called the deaths "the worst time in our lives", and pleaded
that violence should not be used to solve personal problems. He said
"We all have problems and we need to work them out. Killing your
spouse or innocent children is not an option.
"For heaven's sake talk to someone, get a divorce or share child
custody. Do not ever resort to this horrific act of taking the life
of your own family, your own flesh and blood."
UK, NRI doctor killed his wife and committed
suicide by jumping off a bridge with his two-year-old son
London, Feb. 02, 2004
Dr.Jaya Prakash Chiti stabbed to death breast cancer
specialist Anu Pama Damera at their £250,000 detached home and
then drove two miles to kill himself and the toddler at a notorious
suicide spot. He leapt 150ft to his death from a bridge with his two-year-old
son.
Police found the child's body in the freezing Orwell
River below and doctor was found nearby. They found the body of Mrs
Damera with stab wounds in four-bedroom home at Rushmere St Andrew
Unharmed elder son, 11-year-old, who has not been named
by police, is the only surviving member. Dr Chiti’s murder of his
sleeping wife may have been watched by the couple’s 11-year-old
elder son. Police say they are treating the case as a double murder
and suicide.
Anu Pama’s career was a lot more high-profile
than that of her husband. Anupama, who had qualified in India, was a
consultant radiologist at Ipswich hospital. She trained in breast cancer
in Nottingham where the family lived before moving to Rushmere. Anupama
was very charming and shy person. She was more than a very good doctor
and a lovely human being. Her marriage had been arranged in India.
Dr Chiti had been working as a stand-in doctor in the
local hospital’s accident and emergency department. He was thought
to be on the point of taking up a senior post at the hospital. His wife,
a senior consultant, was described as "very highly regarded by
her colleagues".
Colleagues at Nottingham City Hospital, where she worked
for five years, were devastated by the news of her death. Dr Andrew
Evans, a consultant radiologist, described her as a ‘‘complete
success story’’.
For the past two years, Damera was Evans’ research
fellow and had published papers in the British Journal of Cancer in
December on the use of ultrasound and biopsy of lymph nodes.
She left her post as specialist register to take a job
as consultant in Ipswich Hospital last summer. Evans said the couple
had been married for many years and there was no evidence of any mental
problems.
Dr Chiti and his wife had come to the UK from India,
in the 1990s. Dr. Jaya prakash Chiti, was the son of eminent physician
Nizamabad-based C.Jalapath Rao. The victim last visited Nizamabad on
January 24, this year to attend the inauguration of a private hospital
here. He had stayed back in the town till January 26, and left for Hyderabad.
.
One neighbour said: "They were a very nice couple.
They were both medical people. He was a doctor and she was a consultant.