On October 6, 2025, the decomposed body of 61-year-old Ashok Gawde, a former chemical engineer from Thane, Maharashtra, was discovered inside a fifth-floor cement water tank at Maharshi Devraha Baba Medical College in Deoria, Uttar Pradesh. Gawde had gone missing from the hospital's surgical ward on September 27, 2025, where he had been admitted by local residents on September 25 due to a severe leg wound. His body, clad only in underwear, remained in the water tank for 8 to 10 days while contaminated water was continuously supplied to hospital wards, washrooms, and operation theaters. Police identified Gawde using a hospital-stamped bedsheet and blue shirt found on the terrace. Investigation revealed Gawde had suffered severe mental distress and depression after failing to establish a chemical factory, leading to a four-year separation from his wife and medical treatment in Thane. On September 22, he had borrowed money from his brother-in-law in Gorakhpur before disappearing. Police are investigating whether his death was an accident, suicide, or a pre-planned murder, complicated by major hospital security lapses including missing CCTV on access routes, broken terrace door latches, and failure to report a missing patient. Following the incident, hospital principal Dr. Rajesh Agarwal was removed from his post.
Country: India
State/Province: Uttar Pradesh, India
City/Region: Deoria
Incident Type: Murder
Relationship Status: Separated
Relationship Duration: Approximately 4 years (separation)
Incident Date: Oct. 6, 2025
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How the relationship or connection began.
Approximately 4 years (separation)
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2025-10-06
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English labels are shown first. Original-language titles are preserved for source verification.
Crime Tak - India · Original language: Hindi
Maharastra के शख़्स की लाश UP के अस्पताल की टंकी में मिली,खराब पानी अस्पताल में इस्तेमाल हो रहा था
Unknown
While Ashok Gawde experienced marital separation and long-term depression following the loss of his business, the central event involves a suspicious death inside a hospital infrastructure facility. The primary investigative focus centers on hospital administrative negligence, potential foul play, or self-harm rather than direct domestic conflict.
The case does not appear to be primarily relationship-driven. Police identified the body after matching a surgical ward-stamped bedsheet found on the terrace to hospital records. The hospital principal, Dr. Rajesh Agarwal, was removed due to severe administrative lapses. Key unresolved questions include how a limping patient with a severe leg injury reached a 5th-floor water tank accessible only by a bamboo ladder when no ladder was stored on the terrace.
Investigators face significant confusion over whether the death was accidental, suicidal, or a pre-planned homicide. Lack of CCTV coverage on stairways and ramps, along with an unlocked terrace door, hampers reconstruction. Additionally, it remains unclear why the surgical ward staff failed to report Gawde missing on September 27.
After borrowing funds from his brother-in-law in Gorakhpur on September 22, Gawde unexpectedly arrived in Deoria, where bystanders admitted him to the hospital on September 25 for a severe leg wound. Transferred to the surgical ward, he disappeared on September 27. He likely entered the unsecured terrace, where his body ended up inside the water tank, remaining undiscovered for over a week until water contamination prompted an inspection.
The case highlights critical vulnerabilities stemming from unmanaged mental health crises, social isolation following financial collapse, and severe physical impairment. Hospital infrastructure lapses—such as unmonitored stairwells, unsecured terrace access, and failure to track missing patients—significantly escalated environmental and public health risks.
Institutional safety protocols regarding patient monitoring, physical security of critical infrastructure, and swift missing-person reporting are paramount. Additionally, severe business failure and resulting mental health decline require comprehensive support networks to prevent extreme social isolation.
Foul-smelling, discolored water flowing through hospital taps and washrooms served as the immediate signal prompting sanitation staff to inspect the fifth-floor water tank.
A blue shirt and a hospital-issued bedsheet stamped with surgical ward markings found on the terrace provided the crucial clue linking the body to admitted patient Ashok Gawde.
Key physical evidence includes surgical ward register logs, CCTV footage showing Gawde inside the hospital on September 27, and clothing items left on the terrace.
Brother-in-law Praful Nagar stated Gawde borrowed money on September 22 to travel to Mumbai and noted his history of depression following a failed factory setup. Wife Anita Gawde confirmed they had lived separately for four years and had no recent contact. A hospital visitor reported her son underwent surgery and consumed contaminated hospital water prior to the discovery.
Initial confusion regarding the unidentified body was resolved through ward register cross-referencing. Following media exposure of systemic negligence, administrative action led to the removal of the hospital principal.
It remains unresolved how Gawde reached the fifth-floor roof and climbed into the water tank without a ladder despite a severe leg injury, whether third parties were involved, and why ward staff failed to report his disappearance.