Sneha’s house at Uliyan in Kadma. (Animesh Sengupta)

An Uliyan-based couple’s morning walk on Thursday ended in a nightmare when on coming home around 7am they discovered their 18-year-old daughter had kiiled herself at their duplex apartment.

Sneha Kumari, a Class XII student of commerce at DBMS Career Academy, was found hanging from a ceiling fan at their residence at Vijaya Heritage in Uliyan in Kadma police station, taking the steel city’s suicide toll to 73 this year.

The girl — the fifth to commit suicide in May 2012 — has left no note.

Sneha, the second of five siblings — she is survived by three sisters and a brother — was the daughter of Captain Amrendra Kumar, a pilot associated with Alchemist Aviation Private Limited, a flying training institute that operates from Sonari aerodrome.

The suspicions of Kumar and his wife, on their return from their normal morning walk, were awakened when they saw one of the second-floor rooms of the apartment closed. Kumar knocked at the door, thinking his daughter must be inside.

When he got no response, he forced the door open, and found Sneha hanging. She was rushed to Tata Main Hospital where she was declared brought dead.

Sneha’s parents and siblings are in shock and have refused to speak to the media. Her neighbours said they had no idea about why a “bright and pretty teenager” would end her life.

When contacted, school principal of DBMS Career Academy K. Uma said she did not know anything about the incident.

“We are having our summer vacations. I really don’t know why the girl took the drastic step,” she said. The school was in the news in April when one of its Class VIII students, Ritwik Satpathi, had committed suicide.

Sub-inspector Raju of Kadma police station, who went to the house, said that so far they had no idea about why the girl took her life. “The deceased has left no clue in the form of a suicide note or any hint,” he said, adding that the body had been sent to MGM Medical College mortuary for post-mortem. A case of suicide has been registered.

When The Telegraph contacted one of Kumar’s colleagues, who had rushed to the house after learning of the tragedy, the family friend also said that the death left everyone stunned. “Everyone in the bereaved family is in the dark about why Sneha took the drastic step.”

M. Ram, suicide prevention cell Jeevan’s founder, said that he was completely shocked by the spate of suicides in the city.

“In this day and age, parents have to keep an eye on youngsters. They face too many pressures nowadays. Their academics and social life are under constant scrutiny of adults and peers alike. Usually, adolescents are bottled up. Parents have to see how they get them to open up about problems and how they can best mitigate the pressures faced by the youngsters,” he advised.