New Delhi:

A man in Ghaziabad died by suicide. His wife, in Delhi following a fight with him, heard the news of her husband’s death, and killed herself, police said. The couple were parents to a one-year-old girl.

The incidents involve Vijay Pratap Chauhan, 32, and his wife Shivani, 28, who resided in the Loni Border area of Ghaziabad. According to the police, the couple had a history of marital discord.

Vijay and Shivani, who lived in Jawahar Nagar’s G Block in Ghaziabad, had a heated argument Friday evening. Following the dispute, Shivani left their home and travelled to northeast Delhi. Vijay reportedly made a call to Shivani after she left, during which he allegedly told her that she would never see him again.

Shortly after, Vijay’s aunt, Meera, visited his home and discovered his body. He had hanged himself inside the house. She immediately informed Shivani of the incident. Upon hearing the news, Shivani took her own life by hanging herself from an electric pole near the Loni roundabout in northeast Delhi, approximately 8 kilometres from their residence.

Ghaziabad Police and Delhi Police are conducting parallel investigations into the incident. Both the bodies were sent for post-mortem examination. No suicide notes were recovered at either scene. A forensic team examined both locations. Police confirmed that there were no external injuries on Shivani’s body apart from the marks consistent with hanging.

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.

Less than a week before Delhi cafe owner Puneet Khurana died by suicide, his estranged wife and business partner Manika 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. The couple, co-owners of the popular Woodbox Cafe in Delhi, were going through a divorce.

Khurana (40) was found hanging in his room in Model Town’s Kalyan Vihar area on New Year’s Eve. He had spoken to Manika on Monday night and recorded the conversation, in which the couple can be heard fighting over issues related to the business.

Khurana’s family has blamed Ms Pahwa for his death and said she “instigated him” to die by suicide. 

In her post on Instagram from six days ago, Ms Pahwa said she is healing well “after all the toxicity and narcissistic abuse” and was trying to “be better and to be indifferent” every day.

Without naming anyone, she said higher powers would decide what was best for her “abusers”. 

“Well feminism suits me, as idealistic values are my core & feminism means giving & getting mere respect. To one another. No slave treatment, and no stopping some girl to speak her mind (sic). Even a house help, guard, rikshawala, a tiny kid deserves respectful treatment. Once a coward fought with me that ‘respect has to be earned’. Ufff! What disgrace na? I disagree, respect has to be given to each and everyone. If not then you lost the respect baby. Phew! Maybe that’s why in India, we address people with ‘aap’, ‘bhaiya’, ‘didi’ to even strangers, isn’t it?” she wrote.

Referring to her abusers as insecure cowards, Ms Pahwa said virtues like kindness and love are more important than money. 

“I just wish these abusers get to see the mirror someday and understand..that kindness, love, understanding, trust,wisdom, affection & care all are true virtues & hold much more importance than money,property & gold. God bless the unkind ones. I know nobody can change, but let’s just pray, nobody else should suffer because of some bunch of insecure cowards. My tribe, pray with me..okay? love you all… I am free, and the beautiful ruins are part of me,” she wrote.

‘Stressed Him Out’

On Wednesday, Khurana’s sister told news agency ANI that Ms Pahwa had instigated him. 

“Manika Pahwa, her parents and her sister forced my brother, stressed him out, instigated him by saying, ‘you can’t do anything, die by suicide if you dare’. Puneet shot a video before his death, it is on his phone, he has said everything, about how Manika and his parents pressured him mentally. They threatened to throw our parents out and dared him to open his shop’s shutter. They kept abusing him,” she said.

She claimed the division of the business had been laid out clearly, but Ms Pahwa kept asking for her share from the other part too. 

“They earlier ran the bakery business in partnership. But when the first motion for divorce was signed, it was decided and put in writing that Puneet would manage For God’s bakery and Manika would get Woodbox Cafe. It was signed. Even after that, she kept saying that she won’t leave her share. When the matter has been decided in court, go and raise the issue there. She kept calling him and demanding her share,” the sister said.

Khurana’s mother also claimed Ms 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.

The couple got married in 2016 and had been separated for two years. Khurana’s family has filed a police complaint and sought action against Ms Pahwa and her family. 

New Delhi:

A man was allegedly found dead at his residence in Delhi on Tuesday evening, with the cops suspecting it as a death by suicide. According to the police, Puneet Khurana, co-founder of a famous cafe in Delhi, was found hanging in his room in Model Town’s Kalyan Vihar area.

Khurana and his wife, Manika Jagdish Pahwa, were in the middle of getting a divorce. The duo, who owned Woodbox Cafe in the national capital, were allegedly engaged in a dispute over the business, officials said.

According to Khurana’s family, he was ‘upset’ with his wife.

The two got married in 2016, officials said.

In a disturbing 16-minute audio accessed by NDTV, Khurana and his wife can be heard fighting over the business property. “We are getting a divorce but I am still a business partner…you need to clear my dues,” Khurana’s wife said on the call.

The police have recovered Khurana’s phone and called his wife for questioning.

The case drew parallels to the recent Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash’s suicide case. The 34-year-old deputy general manager of a private firm, died by suicide in December. He 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.

New Delhi:

As the suicide of a Bengaluru techie due to alleged harassment by his estranged wife and her family sparked a massive outcry, a similar case of torture and intimidation had taken place in Delhi, where a man died by suicide reportedly after he was falsely implicated in rape and dowry cases in 2017.

A written complaint addressed to then Sarita Vihar Police Station in-charge and a suicide note purportedly written by Arvind Bharti claimed his wife, Richa, wrongly accused him and his family of various acts, and harassed them with false cases even after their divorce.

Arvind Bharti, a resident of Yamuna Vihar, said he was “blackmailed and tortured day and night” by Richa, and that she was solely responsible for his death. He also said he had little hope from the police in the matter.

NDTV has seen copies of the written police complaint and the purported suicide note, both of which are written in Hindi. While the complaint letter was written a day before Bharti’s death, it is not clear when it was submitted to the police. 

Bharti, who worked as a physiotherapist before he joined a computer firm, died by suicide on December 15, 2017. Richa was arrested following his death and later granted bail. The trial in the case is underway.

Complaint Letter To Police

In his six-page letter to Sarita Vihar Police, Bharti explained how his wife pushed him to take the extreme step. He said he and Richa had a love marriage in 2008 but her behaviour towards him and his family changed drastically after that

“She used to register false police complaints, due to which we stayed together only for a few days. She later filed a false dowry case against me. I was discharged in the case by a Delhi court in 2013,” Bharti said. 

He said the couple eventually parted ways in 2016 but the alleged harassment still did not stop. Richa often followed Bharti to his office and his coaching institute to insult him and her actions also cost him his job, he claimed.

Bharti also alleged that his former wife once lodged a false case of rape against him. “The police physically and mentally tortured me and refused to register my complaint (against her). A compromise was reached and they sent me to Richa’s house where her family stripped me and locked me in a room. I was neither given any water to drink nor food to eat,” he said. 

Bharti said Richa filed a fresh rape case against him when his brother, Vipin, arrived with the police to rescue him days later.

Bharti alleged Richa often pressured him with her demands for money. “… I cannot even complain to anyone because I know that another false case will be filed against me,” he said. 

He said on one occasion, Richa told him, “You haven’t been able to do anything to me. Even the police and the Human Rights (Commission) have not accepted your and your father’s complaint”. 

No Faith In Police

Bharti alleged it was easy for Richa to blackmail and threaten him since her false complaints were always registered. 

He alleged that, on one occasion, Richa forcibly took away his bag with his office laptop, wallet, his bike documents, money and a company’s invoice with a cheque of Rs 32 lakh. 

“I am listening to Richa for one last time and killing myself. Otherwise, I shall die this way everyday,” he added. 

Suicide Note

In the four-page note, Bharti said he was writing his “last letter” and urged his family to not mourn his death. He provided details of the items that were reportedly forcibly taken away by Richa, and of money that he owed to some of his friends. 

He also urged his family to move on with their lives. “God will punish her (Richa),” he said.

He continued: “I used to suffer day and night and I knew I would have to take this extreme step one day or the other… I am very tired and I cannot suffer for another second. Please do not take action against Richa… I will no longer be alive and your life might also get spoiled.” 

‘Miss Him Even Today’

Arvind’s mother said she misses her son. “I do not hang Arvind’s photo on the wall because I miss him even today. His former wife was arrested and later released on bail. The matter is still in court,” she said.

Richa could not be reached for comment. 

New Delhi:

A man and his four daughters were found dead at their residence in Delhi with police suspecting that the father first killed children and then died by suicide by consuming poison. The police today said they received a call from the owner of the building on Friday, who informed them about a foul smell coming from a flat. The owner said he knocked on the door but the tenants, who the neighbours last saw on September 24, did not open it.

Police said that no injury marks were found on their bodies and that three packets of poison, five glasses and a spoon containing suspicious liquid were found inside their house at Rangpuri.

The daughters had a red thread tied around their stomachs and necks.

The victims have been identified as Heeralal Sharma, 46, who worked as a carpenter, and his daughters Neetu, 26, Nikki, 24, Neeru, 23, and Nidhi, 20. Two of the daughters were differently abled, police said.

“The door was bolted from the inside and could be opened by the police with the help of the fire brigade team. There are two rooms in the flat. A male was found lying dead in the first room itself whereas four females were found dead in the other room,” the police said in a statement.

“Enquiry with neighbours and close relatives revealed that the wife of the victim had died of cancer about a year ago,” the police added.

The man’s relatives said he had stopped taking interest in family affairs after the death of his wife. They also said that he was always occupied with the treatment of his daughters in the hospital.

New Delhi:

The body of a UPSC aspirant from Rajasthan’s Dausa was discovered hanging in a forested area of Delhi’s Mukherjee Nagar on September 20, police said. The aspirant, Deepak, had been missing since September 11 and was last seen on CCTV footage walking alone towards the forest.

Deepak had successfully cleared the UPSC prelims and was preparing for the mains exam. Although no suicide note was found at the scene, police are probing all possibilities.  

The police, alerted after Deepak’s prolonged disappearance, discovered his body near the bushes close to the Dussehra ground in Mukherjee Nagar. An autopsy of the body was conducted and an investigation into the case was initiated, police said. 

New Delhi:

A 25-year-old woman allegedly killed herself after finding her husband hanging in their home in northeast Delhi’s Shastri Park area, police said on Saturday.

Jhumi Das and her husband Bhaskar Deka (27) hailed from Assam. Das worked as a housekeeping staff and Deka as a security guard at Omaxe Mall in the Chandni Chowk area.

Das was found hanging under a water pipeline at Yamuna Khadar while Deka’s body was found at their home early on Saturday, the police said.

A police officer said Das called a friend and told her that she was taking the extreme step as her husband had hanged himself.

The reason behind the suicides is yet to be ascertained. Deka left a suicide note written in Assamese in which he conveyed his love for his wife and said the decision to bring her to Delhi from Assam had been wrong, the officer said.

He also apologised “for everything”.

The police informed the couple’s family members in Assam and launched a probe.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)