Former Bigg Boss contestant and Kannada actor Jayashree Ramaiah found dead

Kannada actor Jayashree Ramaiah was found dead on Monday at the Sandhya Kiran Old Age Home and Rehabilitation Centre on the outskirts of Bengaluru, according to police.

Speculations have risen that the cause of death was suicide, though this has not been proven.

A case has been filed at the Madanayakanahalli police station in Bengaluru rural district. Jayashree's close associates said she was suffering from depression and receiving treatment at the rehabilitation centre.

Jayashree, who became famous through 'Bigg Boss', was a model-turned-actress. She made her acting debut with Imran Sardhariya's Uppu Huli Khara (salt, sour and spice) in 2017.

Bengaluru Rural Additional Superintendent of Police Lakshmi Ganesh told media sources that Jayashree had committed suicide by hanging.

The rehabilitation centre's website does not say anything about what kind of rehabilitation they help with, but explains at length about its services pertaining to old-age services.

Its trustee Naveen Srinivas told IANS that he had 'remained out of touch' with the activities related to the centre. "I have left it to doctors and professionals to manage the centre. It would not be right on my part to speak about the centre's affairs," he said.

Jayashree was a contestant in 'Bigg Boss' Kannada season 3. Unlike many other participants, she did not get a lot of work after participating in the famous reality show. It was said that she was unhappy over the absence of opportunities and that she had confided about it to her friends.

On July 22, 2020, Jayashree had posted on her Facebook page: "I quit. Goodbye to this f***g world and depression," alarming her fans. Her friends and colleagues reached out to her, urging her not to take any extreme step.

A few hours later, Jayashree removed the post and said, "I'm alright and safe!! Love you all."

On July 25, Jayashree went live on Facebook and said: "I am not doing all of this for publicity sake. I am not expecting financial help from Sudeep sir as well. I am only expecting my death as I am unable to battle depression. I am financially strong but depressed. I have been going through a lot of personal issues. I have been betrayed since childhood and unable to overcome it (sic)."

At this point, Kannada superstar Kiccha Sudeep had stepped in and managed to console her.

The actress was feeling better for a while, but isolated herself from her friends and family soon after that.

On Monday, she stopped responding to messages and phone calls from family and friends, who then contacted the centre. Officials at the centre then checked on her and found her dead.