Wife of an IAS officer, who had “eloped” with a gangster, returned home and then died by suicide

Surya Jay, who had eloped with a gangster nine months ago, returned to her IAS husband Ranjeet Kumar’s home in Gujarat on Saturday. After her return, the 45-year-old woman attempted to kill herself and died a day later, on Sunday, during treatment at a hospital. The incident occurred in Sector 19, Gandhinagar.

Ranjeet Kumar, a secretary at the Gujarat Electricity Regulatory Commission, had instructed domestic staff not to allow his wife into the house due to her involvement in a child abduction case, according to the police.

Sources suggest that Surya might have returned to her husband’s home to evade arrest by Tamil Nadu police in connection with the kidnapping of a 14-year-old boy in Madurai.

According to Kumar’s advocate, Hitesh Gupta, the couple had separated in 2023 and were in the process of finalizing their divorce. Kumar had gone out on Saturday to finalize the divorce petition with Surya. Upset at being barred from the house, Surya ingested poison and called 108, an ambulance helpline number.

Police also discovered a purported suicide note written in Tamil but did not disclose details. Surya’s name was linked to a case involving her rumored gangster boyfriend, Maharaja High Court, and his aide Senthil Kumar. The case pertains to the alleged kidnapping of a boy on July 11 over a monetary dispute with the child’s mother. The kidnappers had demanded a ransom of ₹2 crore, but the boy was rescued by the Madurai police. A manhunt was launched for those involved, including Surya.