A 38-year-old doctor from Andhra Pradesh’s Guntur district, identified as Rohini, was found dead in her Hyderabad apartment on Saturday, PTI reported. According to police, the incident is being treated as an alleged suicide, with reports suggesting she was depressed after her US visa was denied. The body was discovered by Rohini’s family after she did not respond to repeated knocks on the door.
Suicide note mentions depression and US visa rejection
A suicide note was recovered from the deceased’s home. In it, Rohini wrote that she had been struggling with deep depression and also mentioned the rejection of her US visa application, something she had been waiting for with great hope, according to PTI. The incident came to light on Saturday, 22 November. Her domestic help first alerted the family after repeated knocks on the door went unanswered.
Investigators believe she may have taken an overdose of sleeping pills or may have injected herself, though the exact cause of death will be confirmed in the postmortem report. Her body was handed over to the family after the autopsy.
A dream of moving to the US
Rohini’s mother, Lakshmi, said her daughter had been working hard to build a strong medical career. She had “big dreams” of going to the United States for a job, and the visa denial shattered her. Lakshmi shared that Rohini had been staying in Padma Rao Nagar in Hyderabad because the area had several libraries nearby, which helped her prepare for further studies. She wanted to specialise in internal medicine.
Rohini’s mother described her as a brilliant student who completed her MBBS in Kyrgyzstan from 2005 to 2010 and had an excellent academic record. “She was a brilliant student and had completed her MBBS in Kyrgyzstan between 2005 and 2010. Her academic record was excellent, and she had big dreams for her future,” Lakshmi told PTI.
According to her mother, Rohini had been feeling more and more disappointed and withdrawn in the weeks before her death. She had been waiting anxiously for a visa approval that never came. Lakshmi said she had encouraged her daughter to stay in India and continue her medical career here, but Rohini felt the US offered better opportunities, a higher income, and a more manageable number of patients each day. She chose not to marry so she could fully devote herself to her studies.
The Chilkalguda Police have registered a case and are continuing their investigation. The final cause of death will be known once the postmortem report is submitted.
US immigration crackdown
Meanwhile, US visa rejection rates have risen for applicants from India and many other countries, as the United States has launched a major crackdown on illegal immigration. Under Donald Trump’s second presidency, large-scale ICE raids are being carried out across the country, along with mass deportations and other measures.
The Trump administration has also imposed a hefty fee of $100,000 on the H-1B visa, commonly known as the US work visa, as part of its “America First” approach. This has reportedly made companies hesitant to hire H-1B holders, with Indians being among the largest groups of applicants for this visa. In addition to this, a significant number of tourist and student visas are also being denied.