New Delhi:
A CCTV video has shown Delhi cafe owner Puneet Khurana, who died by suicide, having a conversation with his estranged wife Manika Pahwa. The video of the expletive-laden exchange shows Pahwa accusing Khurana of ruining her life. “I will go to your locality and create a scene. They keep crying on the phone,” she is heard saying.
Khurana (40) was found hanging in his room in Model Town’s Kalyan Vihar area on New Year’s Eve. He had spoken to Pahwa on Monday night and recorded the conversation, in which the couple can be heard fighting over issues related to their co-owned bakery ‘For God’s Cake’.
In the 15-minute call recording, Pahwa was heard saying, “Beggar, tell me what have you asked for. I do not want to see your face. If you come in front of me, I will slap you. If the divorce is going on, will you remove me from the business? Then you will say, if you threaten me, I will commit suicide.” In response, the man dismissed her grievances, saying, “All of this doesn’t matter anymore. Just tell me what you want.”
Pahwa and Khurana got married in 2016 and started the Woodbox Cafe together. After a year-and-a-half of being married, their relationship soured and by mutual consent, they moved court for a divorce.
Khurana’s family alleged that Pahwa made five demands to settle their divorce, including Rs 70,000 per month, lawyer’s fee. She also allegedly threatened to send the man and his family to jail if her demands were not met.
The man’s family also said that their son made a video recording in his phone in which he has accused Pahwa of pressuring him over property and business, eventually pushing him to take the drastic step. Khurana’s mother claimed Pahwa kept torturing her son and he suffered in silence. “The two shared the business, they would have disputes over it. He would not say anything openly to us, thinking we would be upset. He kept swallowing his grief. My son was doing well, but she tortured him so much yesterday that he took this step,” she said.
Khurana’s phone, which has the video, is with the Delhi Police as part of investigation into the case.
A week before the suicide, Pahwa had put up a cryptic post on social media stating that she had been subjected to “toxicity and narcissistic abuse” and was now free. Referring to her abusers as insecure cowards, Ms Pahwa said virtues like kindness and love are more important than money.
Khurana’s death comes at the heels of techie Atul Subhash’s suicide in Bengaluru last month. The 34-year-old deputy general manager of a private firm left behind a 24-page suicide note, accusing his wife and her relatives of harassment. According to the victim, his wife and her family had filed a slew of false cases against him.
“The more I work hard and become better at my work, the more l and my family will be harassed and extorted and the whole legal system will encourage and help my harassers… Now, with me gone, there won’t be any money and there won’t be any reason to harass my old parents and my brother. I may have destroyed my body but it has saved everything I believe in,” he wrote.
A few days later, Subhash’s wife Nikita Singhania, and her mother and brother were arrested and sent to 14-day judicial custody.
