A woman was found dead outside a 45-storey tower at the Urbana housing complex in Anandapur, southeastern Calcutta, early on Tuesday morning.
She was later identified as Sanchita Agarwal, 44, a resident of the seventh floor of Tower 4. Police suspect she jumped from the 19th floor.
Identification was delayed due to severe head injuries, officers said. Two young girls later identified her as their mother.
“Initially, the girls were unable to recognise her. After some time, they confirmed it was their mother,” said an officer of Anandapur police station.
Neighbours said the family usually kept to themselves.
Sanchita’s husband, Rakesh Agarwal, was in Delhi at the time of the incident.
In addition to severe head injuries, she had deep wounds on her thighs, the officer said. She was taken to NRS Medical College and Hospital, where she was declared dead around 10am.
During the inquiry, the police questioned family members and relatives. “It was learnt that Sanchita had been suffering from depression in recent days,” an officer said.
A stool was found on the 19th-floor balcony, leading the police to suspect she may have jumped from there.
Some neighbours told the police they saw her going downstairs and then returning upstairs shortly before the incident. One resident suggested she might have jumped from the fire emergency landing on the 22nd floor.
The police said preliminary investigation revealed no signs of foul play. No complaint had been lodged by the family till late Tuesday evening.