Patna: A 23-year-old girl inmate of a Patna-based shelter home run by NGO Prayas Bharti allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan on the institute's premises late on Saturday night.

The police recovered the body of the victim identified as Smriti Sah, a resident of Calcutta in Bengal, on Sunday, after breaking open the door of the room of the shelter home located at Patliputra in the state capital.

The police said a suicide note was found in the room, which was locked from inside. Smriti, who was rescued by a government railway police (GRP) team from flesh trade in 2012, was handed over to Prayas Bharti in 2012.

She passed her Class X examination while staying in the shelter home and was expected to appear in the class XII exam next year.

She was provided a job by the NGO run by Suman Lal. Suman also expressed her surprise over the extreme step taken by Smriti, whom she described as her daughter.

"She was a very good girl. She was inducted as a child educator at the institute," Suman told the investigating officials.

In her suicide note, Smriti lauded the support extended to her by the shelter home. "Though I have always got love and affection from the officials of the institute, I have no more desire to survive," the suicide note said.

Smriti has not held anyone responsible for her death. "I am taking the extreme step as I am not happy with my life," the suicide note said.

Deputy superintendent of police (law and order) MK Sudhanshu said that prima facie it appeared to be a case of suicide. "The body has been sent for an autopsy. The post-mortem report will confirm whether she committed suicide or was killed," he told reporters after his visit to the spot.

He said a forensic team visited the spot and collected evidence. "The FSL report is awaited," he said, adding that the employees of the shelter home told the police that she looked quite normal last night and had asked them not to wake up early morning.

Around 9am, the employees got suspicious and knocked the door.

"Finding no response from inside, the staff informed the Patliputra police, which rushed to the spot and broke open the door only to find her hanging from the ceiling fan," an investigating officer said.

Smriti was pushed to flesh trade allegedly by her stepmother. A GRP official said: "Many girls such as Smriti fell victim to the gang, which operates in the vicinity of Patna Junction. Those rescued by the police are handed over to the NGO, which run the shelter homes for destitutes."