Pathanamthitta: When the mystery is looming over the death of Megha Madhusoodanan, a woman IB official in Thiruvananthapuram, her mother has opened up about her savings habit and raised suspicion over the minimum balance of Rs 80 in her account.

" From a very young age, she used to save every coin in her piggy bank. When it was full, she would break it open and hand over the money to either me or her father. I always made sure to buy whatever she needed. She never spent a single rupee unnecessarily. And yet, for a daughter who grew up with such careful habits, her bank account had just Rs. 80 left after her death," said Nisha Chandran, mother of the IB official.

Megha Madhusoodhanan, an Intelligence Bureau (IB) official, was found dead on a railway track in Thiruvananthapuram on March 24.

A senior clerk at the Chittur Land Revenue Tribunal in Palakkad, Nisha recalled how Megha would call her every morning at 6.45 am after work. 

"But that day, she called at 7.15 am. When I asked about the delay, she said she had gone to the washroom. I asked if she had eaten breakfast and she replied that she would buy food from outside. I don't know if she ever did," said the mother with tears.

As Nisha spoke, she clutched an embroidery frame to her chest--a piece Megha had been working on, left unfinished.

"The last person Megha spoke to was her male friend from Malappuram. That call must have shattered her mentally. Otherwise, she would never have done this, not even for a moment forgetting her parents," Nisha said, her voice breaking.

She believes Megha had a change in her behaviour after returning from her job training in Jodhpur. Once open about everything, Megha never revealed anything to her parents on this particular friend until months later.

"When she finally told us, we agreed to their marriage. But when we realised he was trying to back out, we advised her to end the relationship. We had no idea the kind of emotional torment he had already put her through."

On the day Megha was found dead, that person had called Nisha. "I couldn’t bring myself to speak to him. He had inquired whether Megha had returned to the hostel. We will go to any length to ensure justice for our daughter," she added.

From Megha’s bedroom window, one can see the place where she now rests. Ever since her daughter’s death, Nisha has been sitting by that window, lost in memories. Next to her lies a set of new clothes that Nisha had picked out for Megha from Palakkad, now never to be worn.