Police to interview orphaned boy

Dr Anupama Damera's body was found in the family home

Detectives are trying to find out why a doctor stabbed his wife to death before apparently jumping from a 160-foot bridge with his two-year-old son.

The bodies of Dr Jaya Prakash Chiti, 41, and his son, Pranau, were found by police in the River Orwell, Ipswich, Suffolk, early on Sunday.

A short time later, police found the body of Mr Chiti's wife Anupama, 36, also a doctor, at the family home in nearby Rushmere St Andrew.

Officers found the couple's other son, 11-year-old Ani, unharmed in a bedroom.

Detectives said they planned to interview Ani to see whether he could provide any clues as to the reasons for the tragedy.

The boy is being cared for by relatives in the West Midlands.

He (Ani) is a potential witness... and we would obviously like to interview him at the appropriate time to see if he can help us discover exactly why this has happened Detective Superintendent Roy Lambert

Dr Chiti and his wife, who practised under her maiden name of Dr Anupama Damera, worked at Ipswich Hospital.

They moved to the area last summer from Nottingham, where Dr Damera worked at the City Hospital.

Dr Chiti had been working as a locum at Ipswich Hospital, where he was due to start a new job as a senior house officer in the accident and emergency department.

His wife had worked at the hospital since March last year in the Department of Diagnostic Imaging.

Dr Damera was a consultant radiologist and a specialist in breast screening.

Detective Superintendent Roy Lambert, who is leading the inquiry, said specialist officers would question Ani when the time was right.

"At the moment we are primarily concerned with his welfare," said Mr Lambert.

The bodies were found near the Orwell Bridge in Suffolk

"But he is a potential witness... and we would obviously like to interview him at the appropriate time to see if he can help us discover exactly why this has happened."

He said officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the tragedy.

It was thought that Mr Chiti had murdered his wife then ended his own life and that of his son.

Mr Lambert said post-mortem tests showed Mr Chiti and his son had injuries consistent with a fall.

There was nothing to indicate that the little boy had been killed before plunging from the bridge.

Police were alerted after a passer-by saw Mr Chiti's car parked on the bridge with hazard lights on shortly before 0400 GMT on Sunday.

Dr Kanti Karia, clinical director of Diagnostic Imaging at Ipswich Hospital paid tribute to Dr Damera.

"Everyone working in the hospital and colleagues throughout the NHS are deeply saddened by this tragic news," he said.

Highly-respected

"Anu was both highly respected and extremely well liked by all of her colleagues and her patients.

"She was warm, kind, hard-working and committed to the highest standards of patient care."

Dr Andrew Evans, consultant radiologist at the Nottingham Breast Institute, said staff were shocked at the loss of Dr Damera.

"Anupama lived for her work and for her children. We just can't believe what has happened to her."