Ex-Techie With Mental Health Issue Runs To Temple Naked, Then Jumps Into Pond

A bizarre and tragic incident unfolded in the early hours of Friday in Telangana's Medipally town. A 25-year-old former software engineer, identified as Tejaswini, was found dead in a local temple pond just hours after CCTV cameras captured her running through the streets unclothed.

Investigating officials have pointed toward severe mental distress and "phobia" as key factors in the tragedy.

According to the Medipally police, Tejaswini, a native of the Vizianagaram district, had recently quit her job at an IT firm in Bengaluru about six months ago. She and her mother moved into a rented house in Peerzadiguda roughly two months ago.

After dinner on Friday night, the mother and daughter went to sleep. At around 2:30 am, Tejaswini woke up and allegedly locked her mother's room from the outside to prevent her from following. CCTV footage retrieved from the neighbourhood subsequently tracked her actions as she emerged into the streets.

At 2:35 am the victim is seen running naked through the colony, carrying a saree in her hands. Further, at 2:45 am, she stops briefly at a local Beerappa temple to pray and is reported to have handled an idol.

Lastly, at 3:00 am, she runs toward the adjacent temple pond and jumps into the water.

The next morning, the victim's mother woke up to find herself locked inside and raised an alarm, prompting neighbours to open the door. 

A subsequent search of the locality led to the discovery of Tejaswini's body floating in the lake.

The Medipally police, alongside teams from HYDRAA and the Disaster Response Force (DRF), retrieved the body and shifted it to Gandhi Hospital for a post-mortem examination.

Preliminary investigations and the victim's medical history suggest she was battling severe depressive episodes and acute mental health distress. 

''The mother mentioned in her formal complaint that her daughter had frequently been complaining of severe nightmares and panic attacks, which points strongly to a condition akin to phobia," said the police 

According to police, the CCTV footage clearly tracks her journey from the house directly to the pond. There are no signs of external struggle or third-party interference on the footage, indicating this was a tragic case of suicide driven by a sudden psychological break. 

However, investigators are awaiting the final post-mortem report to conclusively rule out any other possibilities.

A case has been registered under relevant sections based on the mother's statement, and the police are continuing to examine additional surveillance feeds from nearby routes to complete the timeline.