Ranchi, Aug. 29: Parents residing in the Konka Sirom Toli are restricting their daughters from using cellphones after a 21-year-old girl, who was friendly with a boy from Patna on the phone, committed suicide in a hotel.

Rukshana, who developed a friendship with Rahul, a 25-year-old Patna-based youth, on the phone was found dead with him on August 25 in a Patna hotel.

Now, over a hundred girls from Rukshana’s area, who are mostly students of Gossner and Marwari College, are in a fix because of the restriction. They have to now look for telephone booths to make urgent calls.

“I am having to go to college wearing a burqua. And my cell phone has been confiscated, too,” a girl said requesting anonymity.

Parents believed that the rules were imposed for the interest of the society.

“We do not want to put our girls in trouble by allowing them to talk to strangers on mobiles. We have taken the decision after we learnt about Rukshana. She would be fine if she had not made friends with some unknown boy and fallen in love with him,” said Mohammed Mukhtar, a resident of the locality, who has a painting business.

Mohammed Azad, a close relative of Rukshana’s family, also supported the move. “It is a case of psychosis. And she probably became scared of the state. The restriction is likely to continue till residents forget Rukshana’s death,” he added.

Once Rukshana became friendly with Rahul, he came to Ranchi to meet her. On August 22 he came to the city and eloped with Rukshana. A day later they reached Patna and checked into Kunal Hotel on Jamal Road under Gandhi Maidan. On August 25 at 3am, Rahul and Rukshana consumed poison in their hotel room.

They were admitted to Patna Medical College and Hospital (PMCH) and died during the treatment around 11am.

Police recovered a suicide note from the hotel room according to which the couple feared their relationship would not be accepted in the society on religious grounds. The couple said they did not hold anyone responsible for their death.

The officer in charge of Patna’s Gandhi Maidan police station, Nisar Ahmed, confirmed the fact and said it was a case of suicide.

“We have seized the suicide note and have registered a case of unnatural death,” he said.