Police book husband, in-laws and cyber frauds for abetting suicide of 23-year-old Chembur woman

A woman's alleged suicide in Mumbai reveals abuse, financial ruin, and cyber fraud. Her husband and in-laws face charges of abetment to suicide and dowry death.

MUMBAI: Nearly a month after a 23-year-old woman was found dead in her Chembur home in what police initially treated as an accidental death, a deeper investigation has revealed a haunting trail of abuse, financial ruin and cyber fraud that led to her alleged suicide. The woman’s husband, in-laws, and an unidentified online fraudster have now been booked for abetment to suicide and dowry death.

Police book husband, in-laws and cyber frauds for abetting suicide of 23-year-old Chembur woman

The woman, a mother of three, was already grappling with the weight of a long-running domestic violence case when she was allegedly duped by a scammer on Telegram who promised to double her money. Desperate and financially drained, she sent ₹82,999 to the frauds between June 20 and 22, days before she was found dead.

“She had pleaded with the frauds to return her money, saying she was under immense financial and emotional pressure and might not survive this betrayal,” said a senior police officer from RCF police station. “She explicitly told them she was considering suicide. We found this in the chats retrieved from her phone.”

The woman’s death on June 22 was first reported as an accidental death. But after her family insisted on foul play, police began a detailed probe. What they found was a grim history of abuse, coercion, and emotional torment.

According to her mother’s statement, the woman was married to a building contractor and had two daughters and a son. Trouble began soon after the wedding in 2019. Her in-laws allegedly began demanding money despite her family already spending around ₹8 lakh on the marriage. When the demands weren’t met, the harassment escalated.

“She was taken to Vadodara while pregnant, where she was starved and beaten. Her jewellery was taken away by her mother-in-law. In 2019, after one such assault, she called us—weak, scared, and severely underweight,” said her father. The family brought her back to Mumbai and admitted her to a hospital. No one from her husband’s family visited or offered support—only more demands for money, police said.

In 2020, the woman’s family filed a complaint under IPC section 498A (cruelty by husband or relatives), and later, a domestic violence case seeking alimony in a Kurla court. In retaliation, her husband filed for divorce in Jalgaon.

Between court appearances, threats from her in-laws, and mounting legal expenses, the woman’s health and mental state deteriorated rapidly. “She kept saying she was the reason her parents were suffering, that she had brought them nothing but pressure and problems,” her mother said.

Her family said she had become increasingly despondent in the days leading to her death. On June 20, her daughter reportedly overheard her in-laws threatening her again.

When police analysed her phone, they found she had been lured by a cyber fraud ring through Telegram that promised high returns on investments. She transferred over ₹82,000 in a desperate bid to escape her financial turmoil. On June 22, she was found hanging at home.

Following her family’s complaint and the discovery of digital evidence, the RCF police registered a case under IPC sections 304B (dowry death), 306 (abetment of suicide), and 34 (common intention) against her husband, in-laws, and the unidentified cyber fraudster. The police are now trying to trace the owner of the Telegram account she interacted with.