Vasant Vihar suicide: Police book son, wife of pan masala baron for abetment

The woman, the daughter-in-law of the owner of the Kamla Pasand pan masala group, was found dead in the dressing area of her bedroom on Tuesday afternoon.

The Delhi Police on Friday registered a case against the husband and mother-in-law of the 38-year-old woman who had allegedly died by suicide earlier this week at her home in Vasant Vihar.

A senior police officer said a case under Section 108 (abetment to suicide) and 3(5) (common intention )of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was filed on a complaint by the woman’s mother, alleging abetment and harassment. (Getty Images/Representational image)

A senior police officer said a case under Section 108 (abetment to suicide) and 3(5) (common intention )of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita was filed on a complaint by the woman’s mother, alleging abetment and harassment.

The woman, the daughter-in-law of the owner of the Kamla Pasand pan masala group, was found dead in the dressing area of her bedroom on Tuesday afternoon. Police said she lived with her husband and two children at their Vasant Vihar residence, where domestic staff were also present.

According to police, the husband had left for the gym and routine errands earlier that morning, and the children had gone to school. He reportedly returned around noon and found his wife unresponsive. With the help of staff, he took her to a private hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

A diary recovered from the room mentioned “relationship issues”, though officers said no names were written and no direct allegations were made in the entries. “Her mother has alleged that she was being harassed by her husband and mother-in-law. Based on her complaint, an FIR has been registered for further investigation,” said a senior police officer.

Police earlier said a crime team had inspected the spot and statements of family members and staff were recorded. The autopsy was conducted at Safdarjung Hospital by a board of doctors, and the body was handed over to the family on Wednesday. The couple was married since 2010, and the woman was a homemaker, police said.

Initially, proceedings were initiated under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita, which mandates an inquiry into unnatural or suspicious deaths, including suicides.

The woman’s relatives in Kolkata alleged that she had faced prolonged harassment and claimed her husband had “illegally married someone else”. “We took her back home last year, but she returned after the in-laws assured us that they would resolve all issues. But the torture continued,” a relative said.

The family of the businessman has denied the allegations.

Police said the investigation is ongoing and statements of additional witnesses will be recorded in the coming days.