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Police reacted late to call for help from victim’s kin?
The 27-year-old woman who killed her two children before committing suicide at her residence in Mehrauli on Friday could have been saved had police reacted in time to a phone call for help. Faizan Haider reports.
The 27-year-old woman who killed her two children before committing suicide at her residence in Mehrauli on Friday could have been saved had police reacted in time to a phone call for help.
Before taking the extreme step, Vinita Katara — the victim — had called her mother but disconnected midway. Her mother immediately called up Vinita's brother-in-law in Kota, Rajasthan.
"I searched the number of Mehrauli police station on the internet and called them up. But instead of rushing to her house, they asked me to dial 100 and inform the control room. After calling the PCR, I called the police station again," said Hemant Gautam, victim's brother-in-law. While Gautam kept in touch with the police, the cops reached Vinita's house — barely half a kilometer away from Vinita's house at Deluxe Apartments — and found her hanging from the ceiling fan. Her five-year-old daughter was also found hanging by her side. Her 18-month-old son had been strangulated.
Gautam teaches engineering aspirants at Kota. According to him, Vinita is a native of Kota and was married off to Deepak Katara in 2007. "At the time of his marriage, Deepak used to earn a paltry R5,000. But then he got a job with AIIMS and his family started demanding dowry," Gautam added.
Her family said Vinita had returned to Delhi from Kota just a day before the incident.
"Vinita had been living at her mother's place from the past 15 days. On Wednesday, we took her to her in-laws house in Kota and saw Deepak was also there. Deepak brought her to Delhi on Thursday," Gautam said.
"During her stay in Kota, Vinita had told her mother how she was being harassed for dowry," he said.
The victim had lodged a complaint against her husband and his family at the Mehrauli police station. Deepak was arrested on Saturday.
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