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Mumbai woman dies under suspicious circumstances; husband, in-laws arrested over alleged dowry harassment: Reports
The woman's family claimed that Arvind’s family began pressuring Neha’s parents to give more money and buy a Bullet bike.
A 24-year-old woman died under suspicious circumstances 11 months after her marriage in Mumbai's Khar West, prompting police to arrest her husband and in-laws, the Mumbai Mirror reported on Tuesday.
Neha Gupta, originally from Uttar Pradesh, married Arvind Gupta, a bank employee, on November 16, 2024. According to a complaint filed by her father, Radheshyam, she was allegedly subjected to harassment and torture within two months of the wedding over escalating dowry demands.
According to sources cited by the newspaper, Neha was initially taken to Bhabha Hospital on 16 October and later transferred to Cooper Hospital. She was reportedly discharged around 4.30am. However, after returning home, she allegedly collapsed and was rushed back to the hospital, where doctors declared her “brought dead”.
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Neha's family has claimed they had given ₹9 lakh in cash, 18 tolas of gold, over 2 kg of silver, and several household appliances as dowry at the time of the marriage.
The woman's family claimed that Arvind’s family began pressuring Neha’s parents to give more money and buy a Bullet bike. According to Mumbai Mirror, the family alleged that Neha was “slow-poisoned” after they failed to meet further demands.
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The family alleged that unidentified substances were added to Neha's food, leading to frequent fainting spells and severe psychological distress, according to a report in Times Now.
“She told us that she was being slow-poisoned. Some medicines were being put in her food, which would leave her unconscious. She would often tell us her mind would stop working, and she was unable to do anything,” Neha’s brother Suraj told Mumbai Mirror.
He further alleged that his sister was also coerced into having an abortion following the harassment and torture.
An officer at Khar Police Station confirmed that Neha was subjected to physical and emotional abuse by her in-laws, according to Times Now.
Besides Neha's husband, Arvind, five of her in-laws have been taken into custody. A case has also beeen registered at Khar Police States under Section 80 (death due to dowry), Section 123 (causing hurt by means of poisoning), Section 3(5) (criminal act by several persons), Section 115(2) (causing hurt), Section 352 (breach of peace), and Section 351(2) (criminal intimidation) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
