Woman commits suicide in north Delhi, police probe dowry angle

A 27-year-old woman, who was apparently in depression because of her poor heath, allegedly committed suicide by consuming some chemical substance at her residence in North Delhi's Timarpur on Saturday night.

A 27-year-old woman, who was apparently in depression because of her poor heath, allegedly committed suicide by consuming some chemical substance at her residence in North Delhi's Timarpur on Saturday night.

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According to police, the matter came to light around 1 am on Sunday when they received a call from Bara Hindu Rao hospital where she was admitted by her in-laws.

The woman has been identified as Payal Sharma. She was married to one Ajay Sharma around five years back. Recently, she gave birth to a baby girl.
Though her in-laws claimed it was suicide, the police have ordered a sub-divisional magistrate inquiry into the matter.

The police are waiting for Payal's family members to find if dowry demand forced her to take the step. A senior police officer said Payal was suffering from high fever for the last few days and was in depression.

“On Saturday night, she consumed a liquid chemical. Her in-laws found her with froth coming out of her mouth and rushed to the hospital where she died during treatment,” said the senior officer. The police have informed Payal's family members, who live in West Bengal, about the incident.

“Payal was married to Ajay around four years ago and was living in a joint family with her in-laws. Ajay runs a printing press from home while Payal was a housewife. Since the couple had completed only four years of marriage, an SDM inquiry was ordered,” said the officer.

The police are questioning the in-laws and the neighbours to ascertain if she was emotionally or physically tortured for dowry. Payal is survived by a three-year-old son, a nine-month-old daughter and her husband.