After a 25-year-old socialite, married to a Delhi-based pub owner, allegedly committed suicide at her house in South Delhi’s Defence Colony her husband has been arrested for suspected dowry harassment, police said on Sunday.
Owner of an event management company, Priyanka was found dead around 12.30 am on Saturday. She allegedly committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan. Police found a two-page note believed to have been written by the woman before her death, a police official said.
However, her family members alleged that her husband used to abuse her and took a huge amount as dowry. Nitin Chawla was arrested after a case against him was registered.
Priyanka had married Nitin Chawla (38), stakeholder in a few popular Delhi nightclubs and pubs, on January 6 this year, a senior South district police official said. It was Chawla’s second marriage. Priyanka had stopped answering her phone a day prior to Holi and her mother came to her residence to check on her. She was obviously worried about her daughter, the official added.
Priyanka’s mother had come to her house but nobody opened the door, which was locked from inside, for a long time.
She then called up Nitin and police. When a police team reached the spot at A-block Defence Colony, both Priyanka’s mother and Chawla were standing outside, police said. When police broke open the door and went inside, they found Priyanka hanging from a ceiling fan. She was taken to All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) where doctors declared her brought dead.
Since she was recently married to Chawla, police informed the Sub Divisional Magistrate (SDM) of the area and an inquest was initiated. Meanwhile, Priyanka’s body was sent for post-mortem examination and the statement of her sister was recorded.
On the statement of Dimpi Kapoor, the sister of Priyanka was recorded during preceding under section 176/CrPC and accordingly a case FIR No. 115 u/s 498A, 304B, 34 IPC registered at Defence Colony police station. In her statement Dimpi alleged that the husband of her sister used to torture, beat and harass her and was forcing her to bring in more dowry.
The content of the two-page note, recovered from the house and believed to be written by Priyanka, also matched the allegations, police said. “A case has been registered under charges of domestic violence and dowry death against the in-laws, following which the husband has been arrested,” DCP (South) Prem Nath said.
Following Chawla’s arrest, police are now looking into the role of his family members in connection with the case. Chawla had divorced his first wife, with whom he has a son (10) and a daughter (8), in December last year, police said.
After divorce, Chawla got the custody of his son, which became a subject of dispute between him and Priyanka, an official privy to the investigation said.
The other major matter of dispute between Chawla and Priyanka was his lavish lifestyle, the official said.
Further investigation into the matter is underway, police added.