Woman ‘falls’ to death in Greater Noida, husband arrested

The incident took place in the intervening hours of Sunday and Monday in Jalpura village, said police

A 24-year-old newlywed woman died after allegedly falling from the third-floor terrace of the home of her in-laws in Greater Noida, police said on Monday. A case of dowry death has been registered based on a complaint by her family and her husband has been arrested.

Photographs of the victim showed she had multiple injuries, including bruises, red and blue marks, as well as a stab mark on the abdomen, said an officer. (Representational image)

Police identified the victim as Deepika Nagar (24), B.Ed. graduate and a resident of Kudi Kheda in Badalpur. She married her husband Ritik Nagar, who was pursuing an LL.B, in December 2024.

The incident took place in the intervening hours of Sunday and Monday in Jalpura village, said police. “On Monday, around 12:40 am, we received information from Sharda Hospital that a woman, who sustained multiple injuries, was brought dead by her in-laws,” a police officer aware of the investigation told HT.

Photographs of the victim showed she had multiple injuries, including bruises, red and blue marks, as well as a stab mark on the abdomen, said the officer quoted above, adding “Prima facie, the marks indicated that she was subjected to torture before falling from the third floor.”

However, doctors have yet to determine the exact cause of death. “The exact cause of death remains unclear. A postmortem examination has been conducted, and the viscera has been preserved for forensic analysis,” said Ecotech-3, station house officer, Ajay Kumar Singh.

Shailendra Singh, deputy commissioner of police, Central Noida, told HT, “It is too early to comment whether it was a suicide or murder case. We are waiting for the autopsy report. As dowry demand allegations surfaced, a case was registered, and statements of both families are being recorded.”

On a complaint by the woman’s family, police have registered a case under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) sections 80 (dowry death) and 85(2) (husband or relative of her woman subjecting her to cruelty), as well as sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act against seven identified people, including her husband, at Ecotech 3 police station. Deepika’s father, Sanjay Nagar, alleged in his complaint, accessed by HT, “She was killed and pushed from the third-floor terrace over a dowry demand.”

The husband was arrested early Monday morning from Greater Noida, said the DCP.

When HT tried to contact the accused family, police said they had all switched off their mobile phones and were on the run. They could not be reached for a comment.

According to a preliminary investigation, an hour before the incident, the victim’s father had left the in-laws house. The woman had called him to intervene following a dispute. Her brother-in-law, Ankit Baisla, told HT that her father had counselled the two in relation with the dispute and returned home around 11pm. By 12:26am, he received a call from her father-in-law about her fall. “As we reached the hospital, Deepika was found dead,” he said.

He further said she was being “tortured” over the past couple of months over dowry. “During the marriage, we had given an SUV, a Mahindra Scorpio, and ₹5.71 lakh in cash...But her in-laws her demanded a Toyota Fortuner and ₹50 lakh. In the last few months, Deepika’s father attempted to solve their issues to sustain the marriage. But we never expected that they would do this to her.”

“If we had known their intentions and the criminal background of her father-in-law, we would never have fixed her marriage in Jalpura. As Ritik was the only son among three elder sisters, we thought that she would be happy there,” Bainsla told HT.

SHO Singh confirmed that Deepika’s father-in-law had a criminal record, but did not share the nature of the cases. “It was found that a few cases were registered against Manoj. Investigation is underway to check them.”

Deepika is survived by parents and an older brother and sister. Following post-mortem examination, her family late Monday evening conducted her last rites in their native village of Kudi Kheda.