Police urged to re-investigate death of Alpa Mistry, 33

Relatives of Alpa Mistry, a 33-year-old NHS worker, raised their concerns at a hearing at Norfolk Coroner’s Court on Wednesday.

The inquest was told that police had found no suspicious circumstances and coroner Christopher Leach ruled Mrs Mistry had died a drug-related death, after an overdose of her prescription drugs.

But in their evidence, the family – who have made an official complaint to Norfolk Constabulary about their investigation – called on the force to take another look into the case. 

The inquest heard that Mrs Mistry, who worked in various mental health roles in the NHS, was discovered unconscious by her husband, Suneet Mistry, at their home in Curtis Road, Norwich.

He had become concerned for her when she failed to get up for work after not leaving her bedroom for more than 30 hours. 

The hearing was told that the couple, who slept in different rooms due to conflicting sleep patterns, had spent Saturday, June 11 last year walking at Horsey beach before shopping and returning home for dinner.

In a statement from Mr Mistry, read out at the inquest, he described how he had gone to bed at around midnight and left his wife watching television, a typical occurrence. 

They slept in separate bedrooms due to Mrs Mistry’s insomnia. She also opted to have a lock placed on the inside of the door.

When Mr Mistry woke at around 9am the following day, he said he could hear his wife snoring from her room and left her to sleep. This was a process he did numerous times during that day, assuming she was still tired out from their walk.

At around 8.30am on Monday, June 13, he was concerned she would be late for work and forcibly entered her locked bedroom by kicking down the door. He was unable to rouse her and called 999.

When the ambulance arrived, a paramedic was also unable to wake her. She was taken to the Norfolk and Norwich hospital. 

Her condition worsened over the next few weeks and she was declared dead on Tuesday, July 20.

In his statement, Mr Mistry described how they had first met at a party in 2011 and married in August 2019. 

He added that her mother’s unexpected death in March 2022 had “taken a massive toll” on his wife’s mental health. 

Mrs Mistry’s sister Bhavna Karavadra and brother-in-law Shailesh Karavadra attended the inquest.

Mrs Karavadra’s statement described how they had been planning a trip to India to scatter their mother’s ashes just days before she was admitted to hospital.

She told the hearing: “I think the police should still investigate this case. Alpa would never have done an overdose.”

In a final statement read out in court, Mrs Mistry’s friend Christina Kumar said: “Alpa was a very hard-working, bubbly and adventurous girl who liked to have fun.

“This all changed when she met her husband. 

“She confided in me she made the biggest mistake of her life marrying Suneet. 

“She told me she had lost the will to live and wanted to be dead rather than live the life she had.” 

Christopher Leach, the coroner, confirmed that a note had been found on Mrs Mistry’s laptop, which had been written a year prior to her death. 

He said: “The note suggested Mrs Mistry had been low for some time and had been previously thinking about taking her own life.” 

A statement from Norfolk police confirmed that it did not believe there had been any foul play in Mrs Mistry’s death and that there had been no recorded evidence of domestic abuse or violence. 

Speaking after the inquest, Mr and Mrs Karavadra outlined their concerns following Mrs Mistry’s death. 

Mr Karavadra said: “All her life, she has worked in mental health, she would understand the consequences of her actions if she took an overdose.   

“Why did no one take blood samples when she went to the hospital? She went to the hospital to determine the exact cause of the state she was in. 

“Why did the ambulance worker not inform the police about an overdose on the same day? 

“I find it completely unfathomable they are not investigating.” 

The couple said they have formally complained to Norfolk police and have emailed the police and crime commissioner but have yet to hear a response. 

A Norfolk police spokeswoman said: “Alpa was admitted to hospital on June 13, 2022 and police were not contacted until July 19, 2022 when a safeguarding referral was made as a result of concerns raised by a family member.

“Officers did attend the hospital the following day on July 20, but Alpa had already sadly passed away. Officers did investigate the circumstances surrounding her death and were satisfied it was not suspicious. Our thoughts remains with Alpa’s family.”