British woman in balcony death plunge at Mumbai hotel

A British woman has plunged to her death from a hotel balcony in India.

Sunanda Valand, 37, fell from the sixth floor of a beachside hotel in Mumbai where she was on holiday with husband Ajay.

Indian police said they were treating the case as suicide after Mr Valand told them his wife went out on the balcony of their room and leapt off shortly after they checked into the Hotel Ramee Guestline in Juhu Beach.

Mrs Valand, a hospital receptionist from Horley, Surrey, had just visited the home of one of Bollywood's biggest stars, Amitabh Bachchan.

Mr Valand, a security officer at Heathrow airport, said his wife had been unhappy about the stay in India because "of the climate" and that they were due to fly home today.

Mrs Valand's sister, from Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, who did not want to be named, said her family found it hard to believe the "happy" and "beautiful" woman had committed suicide.

"I'd only spoken to her a few days ago and she was her normal self. She was in India for a holiday and she was enjoying herself. Sunandra didn't say there were any problems.

"Our dad has flown out to India. He has spoken to Ajay, but we're still trying to figure out what happened. Her and Ajay had their ups and downs like any couple, but there were no problems we knew about.

"She was my big sister and we were very close. She never had a bad word to say about anyone. We're all devastated and trying to cope," she said.

Detectives said Mrs Valand's body was found at breakfast time as Mr Valand was in the reception. Security officials heard a loud thud in the courtyard.

But Sudhanshu Singh, a hotel employee, was reported in an Indian newspaper as claiming Mr Valand was on the balcony at the time. He said: "Our staff saw Ajay on the terrace when Sunanda jumped off. We don't know whether the couple were bickering."

The two had gone to visit Ajay's native Anand in Gujarat and returned to Mumbai for some sightseeing, including the homes of Bollywood stars.

Inspector Ashok Pimple of Juhu police said: "It is a clear case of suicide and there is no suspicion. We are investigating the reason for her suicide. But from what we know now, she was not happy to be in India."

The couple were married in 2002 and had no children, he added.