Indian-Origin Student Bought Cyanide From Amazon, Claims Lawsuit

New York: The family of an Indian-origin student who committed suicide at the University of Pennsylvania has sued Amazon, alleging that she bought cyanide through a man from Thailand through the online giant.

The 20-year-old nursing student killed herself two years ago, allegedly after she was sexually assaulted by a male student; she allegedly reported the attack, but no charges were filed and he remained on campus, according to the lawsuit.

Then her "grades plummeted, she was arrested for alcohol intoxication and was the subject of more than one academic and misconduct investigations, according to the claim", reports NBC news.

"Despite her problems, university employees' conduct toward her was unsympathetic, hostile, and at times vindictive," the suit says.

In December 2012, the young woman ordered cyanide crystals from Amazon through a vendor in Thailand, who had listed it as a "kitchen" item, said the suit filed in late July. Amazon processed the payment and kept a portion of the sale price, the complaint said, according to NBC news.

By the spring 2013 semester, she was being investigated for academic misconduct. She was barred from registering for classes, and ordered to leave her dorm while awaiting a hearing for the misconduct.

On February 8, 2013, the day of the hearing, her roommate found her unresponsive in their dorm room, and she was pronounced dead hours later.

Amazon offered cyanide for sale until February 2, 2013, just days before her death and before that, the poison had been purchased more than 50 times by customers in the US, resulting in at least 11 deaths besides her, according to the suit.

The New York Daily News reported that Amazon did not return requests for the comment, and representatives from the university said the school does not comment on pending litigation. Calls to a number listed for her family were also not returned, said news agency Press Trust of India.