Roshni Das, 31, a neurosciences scholar at Umea University in northeast Sweden, who was originally from Durgapur, was found murdered at her rented apartment in Umea on September 30.

The information from the Swedish embassy reached her mother, Durgapur resident Mamata Das, via the local police on Friday.

Since then, the ailing and grieving woman has been trying to ensure that her daughter’s mortal remains are brought to Durgapur for the last rites.

“I last spoke to my daughter on September 29. Since then, she didn’t call. I tried to contact her frequently, but her phone was switched off. Suddenly, I got news of her death,” said the mother, who appealed through the media to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and chief minister Mamata Banerjee to take steps to bring her daughter’s body back home.

“Roshni was my only child. She moved to Sweden in 2018 for her PhD. She last came home (Durgapur) when her father died in 2019. But we were in regular touch. I don’t know who killed my daughter,” she added.

Roshni's father Narayan Chandra Das was a retired Durgapur Projects Ltd (DPL) employee.

Roshni was born and brought up in the DPL township, and studied in a CBSE school at Durgapur. Later, she completed her graduation in Zoology from the Raj College, Burdwan, and went to Bhubaneswar for a postgraduation from Utkal University before going to Sweden.

Roshni’s neighbours said she was a bright student.

“She was very meritorious since childhood. We were very proud of her. Last year, she completed her PhD in integrative medical biology and was doing research in neurosciences. We can't accept her death,” said a neighbour.

Her mother said she had been repeatedly asking Roshni to return home. “I am ailing and finding it increasingly difficult to live alone. However, my daughter wanted to stay there (in Sweden) and work as a professor. She told me she would take me there once she got a teaching job at a university there,” wept the bereaved mother.

The notification from the Swedish embassy added the police were probing Roshni’s murder and had arrested a Swede.

“I am alone and aged now.... I have lost my only reason to live,” said the mother.

Local BJP MP S.S. Ahluwalia said he had taken initiatives to bring Roshni’s body back through the Indian embassy in Sweden.

“I have contacted our external affairs ministry and urged them to bring the body back to Durgapur,” said Ahluwalia.

Roshni’s body is currently in the mortuary of the University Hospital of Umea.