Bengaluru techie suicide: Family demands justice, action against ‘harassers’

The deceased software engineer, residing at Marathahalli, Bengaluru, died allegedly by suicide on Monday after leaving behind a 40-page note detailing the reasons behind his step

A pall of gloom descended on the family of 34-year-old software engineer at his residence in Bihar’s Samastipur, 80 km from Patna, on Wednesday, after the news about his death by suicide in Bengaluru due to alleged mental harassment and extortion by his wife and her family in the note and a video, which has gone viral on social media.

An FIR against victim’s wife and her family members with Marathahalli police station under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) and Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) (File photo)

The deceased software engineer, residing at Marathahalli, Bengaluru, died allegedly by suicide on Monday after leaving behind a 40-page note detailing the reasons behind his step, police officers of Marathahalli police station, Bengaluru said on Tuesday.

An FIR against victim’s wife and her family members with Marathahalli police station under Section 108 (abetment of suicide) and Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). The complaint alleged that the accused demanded ₹3 crore for settling legal disputes and ₹30 lakh to allow slain engineer visitation rights to see his son. The police reported that they received a call about the suicide at 6 am on December 9 and found engineer’s body hanging from a ceiling fan after breaking into the locked flat.

Marathahalli police inspector Anil Kumar said that the incident came to light on Monday morning when the engineer’s neighbours alerted them. “We received information at around 6am and visited the spot. The autopsy was conducted at the CV Raman Nagar Government Hospital, and the body was handed over to the family members on Tuesday,” he said.

The engineer’s parents live in Samastipur and his father runs a make-up shop at PUSA Bazaar and his younger brother works in a private company in Delhi. “Both his father and mother were distraught as soon as the tragic news reached them and they immediately left for Bengaluru. He also had talks with parents before taking the extreme step. He was very connected with family,” said the engineer’s cousin. The last rites of the deceased software engineer was performed in Bengaluru on Wednesday, family members said.

The family said that he got married on June 26, 2019 at a hotel in Varanasi and the couple was blessed with a son in 2020. Their marriage was fixed through a matrimonial site.

The problems seemed to have started soon after marriage as his wife was very dominating and wanted him to stay away from his family but the victim did not succumb, said his cousin.

“Later his wife got registered several cases against him, including one under Dowry Act, at Sadar Kotwali police station of Jaunpur district in Uttar Pradesh on April 24, 2022, as she lived there, and her husband, his parents and brother accused. Since then, it was constant trauma for him, as he had to appear on every date. In one year, he had to appear 40 times and he, perhaps, ran out of patience,” he added.

The deceased ‘s cousin said that it was time for the government and the courts to wake up, as dowry Act is also being grossly misused to harass boys and their families, as this case has amply proved.

“A young promising boy had to go like this due to sheer mental trauma by the girl, who filed a case for divorce eight months after separating from my brother. She implicated every member of our family even though she lives far away. My parents were inconsolable as they left for Bangalore,” victim’s brother said.

The suicide note, shared via WhatsApp with the Save Indian Family Foundation, revealed the engineer’s emotional and financial struggles. In the note, he made an emotional appeal for justice for his family and expressed his love for his four-year-old son. He had purchased a gift for him, requesting it be delivered to him after his death, police said.

Their marriage reportedly faced significant challenges starting in 2021. She left their Bengaluru home with their son, following which, she and her family allegedly began demanding large sums of money from him. When these demands were not met, she filed a series of cases against the deceased and his family, accusing them of crimes including attempt to murder, harassment over dowry, and sexual misconduct, police said.

The deceased faced over 40 court notices in a single year, forcing him to travel extensively between Bengaluru and Uttar Pradesh. He reportedly spent around 120 days travelling for court hearings, resulting in substantial financial and emotional strain. The burden of taking leave from work and the high costs of travel further exacerbated his distress, said police .

In addition to the allegations of harassment, the suicide note included accusations of judicial misconduct. “The deceased detailed an exchange with a judge in Uttar Pradesh, claiming the judge mocked him and dismissed his concerns. He also alleged that the judge demanded ₹5 lakh to settle one of the cases filed against him,” an investigating officer said, on condition of anonymity.

The note also outlined an interaction with his mother-in-law, who allegedly taunted him over not ending his life yet. When he replied that his death would leave no one to pay them, she allegedly said his father would cover the amount; and that his parents would eventually die as well, leaving his wife with the money, police said.

In his note, the engineer criticised the Indian legal system, stating that it facilitated the harassment of men through false cases. “The more I work hard and become better at my work, the more my family and I will be harassed and extorted,” he wrote, according to police. He further expressed a belief that his death would spare his parents and brother from further harassment, as his absence would leave no financial incentive for his accusers, police said.

Menwhile, there were no official statement from the wife of the deceased engineer till Wednesday. However, PTI released a video on Wednesday in which, uncle of the deceased engineer’s wife claimed that he had no association with the suicide case.

“I am uncle of wife of the deceased engineer’s wife. I have got to know from the media that my name is also registered in the FIR . However, I am not associated with this case. A case has been going on for last three years in court. I haven’t met them since then,” he said, in the video . He also said his family was not responsible in any way for the incident.

According to Janupur police, the wife had on April 24, 2022 filed a case against him at Kotwali police station here. The case was investigated by the then woman sub-inspector Priyanka and the charge sheet was sent to the court on August 30, 2022, police said.

The FIR was lodged at Kotwali police station in Janupur under Indian Penal Code sections 498A (cruelty by husband or relatives), 323 (assault), 504 (intentional insult to provoke breach of peace), 506 (criminal intimidation) and under provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.