Woman whose husband poisoned her with thallium dies after a month in coma

Divya’s sister and mother died of the poisoning earlier, while her father and their domestic help recovered after being treated. Varun, a realtor who lives in Greater Kailash-1, was arrested on March 24 for poisoning her family with thallium, a toxic substance.

After more than a month in coma, Divya Arora, whose husband Varun Arora had poisoned her and several of her family members with thallium, died at a hospital in the city on Thursday.

Divya’s sister Priyanka Sharma was the first casualty of the conspiracy and died on February 15 (HT Archives. Representative image)

Divya’s sister and mother died of the poisoning earlier, while her father and their domestic help recovered after being treated.

Varun, a realtor who lives in Greater Kailash-1, was arrested on March 24 for poisoning her family with thallium, a toxic substance.

The suspect served them fish laced with the lethal chemical at his in-laws’ house in west Delhi’s Inderpuri on January 31 this year, said police. Investigators involved in the case said he made sure that neither he nor his two children ate the poisoned food.

Divya’s sister Priyanka Sharma was the first casualty of the conspiracy and died on February 15. Varun’s mother-in-law, Anita Sharma, was hospitalised on March 4 and died on March 22, while Divya was admitted to Sir Ganga Ram Hospital on March 6.

One of Divya’s cousins, who asked not to be named, said, “She was in coma since day one of hospitalisation. Varun is still in medical custody and we demand strict action against him. Divya’s father Devender Sharma is still recuperating and is still under medical supervision due to the poisoning,” she said.

The relative said Divya’s family will also pursue legal options for custody of their two children.

Police found that Varun bought the chemical online from a pharmaceutical company in Panchkula, Haryana, and got the consignment delivered to his relative’s house in Gurugram to avoid suspicion.

Deputy commissioner of police (west) Urvija Goel said they are verifying if the firm had sold thallium to Varun after carrying out the requisite checks. “We are yet to verify if the pharmaceutical company sold the chemical after verification or not. The documentation between them is also being checked. Any possible negligence is being looked into,” she said.

Varun had told police earlier that since thallium is tasteless, he had mixed it with water and poured it over the fish that he had cooked for dinner. To save his four-year-old twins, he gave them milk to drink right before dinner, so that the family members did not serve them the fish. He made a religious excuse and did not eat the fish himself.

The police also recovered thallium from his GK-1 house.