21-year-old Maldivian model and medical student who appeared on Vogue commits suicide

A 21-year-old Maldivian model and medical student who appeared on the front cover of Vogue India magazine has reportedly committed suicide after she was found dead in her hostel dormitory in Bangladesh on Wednesday.

Raudha Athif, a second-year student at Islami Bank Medical College in Rajshahi Bangladesh, became an internet sensation in the Maldives in 2014 after she posted a shoot online called the "Maldivian Girl With Aqua Blue Eyes"... and even received praised from the president of her country for her striking appearance. 

She got her first modelling gig with “Maldivian Girl With Aqua Blue Eyes” taken by photographer Scotti after posting pictures of herself on social media,

Her body was discovered hanging from the ceiling fan in her dorm room by horrified classmates living in the same block.

Police later recovered her body on Wednesday was taken to Rajshahi Medical College Hospital for an autopsy, report the dailystar.net.

Raudha had been living in the hostel, designated mainly for foreign students, close to the university since last year.

Superintendent of the female hostel, Mahmuda Begum, said she found it hard to believe Raudha killed herself because she “always looked happy”.

“I was in my chamber. Suddenly, I heard screams of my students. Rushing to the second floor of this six-storey building, I saw some of the students trying to break the door of Athif’s room,” Begum said.

According to Begum, said the door was locked from the inside and students broke into the room. 

She was buried on Saturday by her family members at Hetom Khan Cemetery after the autopsy report ruled her death was a suicide.

The funeral was attended by her family, classmates and Aishath Shakir, ambassador from the Maldives, according to Enayet Kabir Milon, a Quantum Foundation spokesperson.
Prof Emdadul Haque, a member of the autopsy team, said: 

“There was no evidence of sexual or any other kind of abuse on her body. We have sent samples to Dhaka for further testing to determine if she had ingested any pills. However, at this point, we are certain that this was a suicide.”

Prof Emdadul, who also teaches at the medical college, said that he had never taught Raudha but 
 

Senior Assistant Commissioner (AC) Iftekhar Alam of Rajshahi Metropolitan Police said:

"After the autopsy was done on Friday, Raudha’s family was still undecided as to where she was going to be buried. On Saturday morning, her father Mohammad Athif told the police that they had decided to bury her in Rajshahi and asked the police to make the necessary arrangements.

“In line with their request, we arranged for her burial through the Quantum Foundation. We did not ask why she was not taken back to her own country for burial.”
 
AC Iftekhar also said the Maldives consulate had taken permission from the Foreign Ministry to bury Raudha at Rajshahi.
Raudha’s father Mohammad Athif lives in India, and her mother Aminath Muharmimath lives in the Maldives.

She was born on May 18, 1996, and had been living at the college dorm since January 14, 2016. 

Raudha, a rising model with a strikingly beautiful blue eyes described modelling as a hobby rather than something she wanted to pursue as a career.

"Modelling is a hobby rather than a career for me, since I 'm studying to become a doctor," she told Vogue India when they photographed her last year along with six models from six nations of the Indian subcontinent to grace their cover.

"I 've never been so bold as to take part in any big pageant before this.. Becoming a doctor to help people has always been my dream"