Pune, 8th January 2026: A police sub-inspector was found dead in a hotel room in Pune’s Deccan area on Wednesday afternoon, in a shocking incident that has drawn attention to mental and health-related stress among police personnel in Maharashtra.
The deceased has been identified as Suraj Marathe (30), a police sub-inspector posted at Tasgaon Police Station in Sangli district. He was a native of Dehu in Pune district and had recently completed his probation period. He had taken charge at Tasgaon barely a month ago. Marathe was unmarried.
According to police, Marathe had been on medical leave since December 30 due to persistent knee pain. He checked into a hotel on Apte Road in the Deccan area on Tuesday. When the room remained locked until Wednesday afternoon, hotel staff alerted the police.
Senior officers from Deccan Police Station reached the spot and opened the room. Preliminary examination suggested that Marathe had consumed poison, leading to his death.
During the investigation, police recovered a handwritten note from the room. In the note, Marathe stated that no individual should be held responsible for his death and that he took the step due to personal medical reasons.
The body has been sent to Sassoon General Hospital for post-mortem examination. Police said the exact cause of death will be confirmed after the final medical report.
