Medical Student And Vogue Cover Model Raudha Athif Reportedly Dies From Hanging In Dorm Room

Raudha Athif, a successful Maldivian model and second-year medical student, was found dead Wednesday afternoon (March 29).
The 21-year-old reportedly committed suicide by hanging herself via a scarf she owned. Athif was on the cover of Vogue India last October and was widely known as the “Maldivian Girl With Aqua Blue Eyes.” At the time, she told the magazine that modeling was only a hobby and that she wanted to become a doctor.

Police recovered Athif’s body around midday after her classmates found her lifeless. She was in her Bank Medical College dorm room in Rajshahi City, according to the Daily Star.

Mahmuda Begum, the dorm’s superintendent, described the young model as always looking happy and noted “it is hard to believe she would commit suicide.” She later described her experience of what happened.

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

An autopsy should be able to confirm how Athif died. Currently it’s thought of as a suicide by local police. “We primarily suspect it is a suicide case. However, we can't come to any conclusion until we get the autopsy report,” said Zillur Rahman, the officer-in-charge of the discovered death.

Our thoughts are with Raudha Athif’s family during this very trying time.