Dr. Yogita Gautam, whose body was recovered from near a highway on August 19 after she was killed by another doctor, Vivek Tiwari, will be long remembered for her courage and achievements.

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Yogita, who was working at the S.N. Medical College in Agra, had assisted in the delivery of a young woman who was also a COVID-19 patient at the hospital in April at a time when fear of the pandemic was at its peak. "Without even a moment's hesitation, Yogita volunteered to attend to the young woman who was in labour and was also a COVID patient. She was accompanied by other doctors and did not show any fear or hesitation in the case. This was the time when delivery of COVID patients was looked upon as a major risk," said a senior doctor at the S.N. Medical College.

"The patient had to undergo a caesarean for the delivery and Yogita assisted the seniors with great competence," said the doctor. This, incidentally, was the first delivery by a COVID patient in Uttar Pradesh. Yogita was a member of the COVID team at the S.N. Medical College and often, worked much beyond her duty hours without complaining. She was killed on August 18 night by Tiwari who claimed to have been in a relationship with her for the last seven years.

Yogita's family, however, has said that Tiwari was harassing her to marry him as she was unwilling. Tiwari, who was arrested from Jalaun on August 19 in connection with the murder, has now confessed to his crime. In a video message, the doctor had said that he had travelled to Agra from Jalaun to meet Yogita. He confessed that when Yogita sat in his car, they started having an argument which intensified and he strangulated her in a fit of rage. "Then I realised that she may still be alive so I hit on her head with a knife," he added. Tiwari said that he then drove to a secluded spot, dumped the body and covered the body with wooden sticks. Senior police officials said the victim's head had been hit by some heavy object and her sports shoes were lying around the murder scene.

Yogita's brother, had filed a police complaint against Tiwari for abducting his sister. The accused Tiwari was one year senior to the victim. The police said that during initial interrogation, he kept changing his statements but later confessed to the crime.