31-year-old woman’s murder sparks protests; cops suspect dowry death

A 31-year-old woman was found dead in her house in East Delhi’s Jagriti Enclave on Tuesday morning. Police suspect she was murdered by her husband, a scrap dealer who is absconding.

A 31-year-old woman was found dead in her house in East Delhi’s Jagriti Enclave on Tuesday morning. Police suspect she was murdered by her husband, a scrap dealer who is absconding.

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The victim, Neha Kukreja, was strangulated by a metallic cord, which was found lying near her body. Her relatives accused her husband Sanjeev Kukreja, who ran an iron scrap shop in east Delhi, of killing her for dowry.

They alleged he had connections with some local policemen. Claiming that the local police were shielding the culprit, Neha’s relatives placed her body on the main road and blocked traffic for several hours.

“It looks like a case of dowry death and her husband could be involved in the crime,” said OP Mishra, deputy commissioner of police (east).

In 2001, Neha got married to Sanjeev and moved into his Jagriti Enclave house. The couple has two children. Her relatives, including her older brother Mahindra Sethi who came from Panipat on hearing about Neha’s death, alleged that the police have destroyed forensic evidence and let Sanjeev and his parents flee.

Neha’s neighbours also joined the protest against the police. The body was not taken away by police till late evening. “We are investigating into the matter. So far, we have not got any clue that could help us reach a conclusion,” Mishra said.

Neha’s brother Mahinder Sethi, who runs a handloom business, told reporters his sister was not happy in her marriage.

“Sanjeev often threatened to divorce Neha. He wanted more dowry. We gave him money as and when he demanded just to save her marriage. Recently, he lost a huge amount of money in cricket (World Cup) betting and demanded lakhs from us. I, for the first time, refused to give him any money and he killed her.”

There was no one from Sanjeev’s family present at the spot.

Harish Kumari, Neha’s aunt, said: “Around 11.30am we got a call from Neha’s neighbours, saying that she is dead. We immediately rushed to the spot from Panipat. Sanjeev and his mother told us that Neha lost her balance on the staircase and died. But we found a metal cord next to her body. Besides, there was a deep mark around her neck. When we told the police that it was a case of murder, police did not pay any heed to us. Meanwhile, Sanjeev and her parents managed to flee.”