Delhi woman found dead; husband, father-in-law arrested over dowry harassment

A 24-year-old woman was found dead at her rented residence in west Delhi’s Raghubir Nagar on Wednesday (Jun 24). The police said that a PCR call was received after which they reached the spot to investigate the matter. The woman’s husband and father-in-law were arrested in connection with the incident.

According to the police, the woman was found lying dead with a ligature mark on her neck, and a scarf was reportedly tied to a window grill at the scene. Deputy Commissioner of Police (West) Hareshwar V Swami said that initial findings suggested the possibility of suicide, although further investigation was initiated based on surrounding circumstances and allegations raised by the family. According to reports, no suicide note was recovered from the spot.

The woman had been married for about three years and had no children, officials said. Since her death occurred within seven years of marriage, the matter was also reported to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM) as per procedure. Statements of her parents were recorded during the inquiry, the DCP said.

Her body has been shifted to DDU Hospital Mortuary after MLC at GGS Hospital and her post-mortem reports are awaited.

The woman’s family has claimed that she faced harassment over dowry demands and inability to conceive. Based on these allegations and initial evidence collected during the probe, a case has been registered against her husband and father-in-law under Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita’s sections 80 (dowry death) and 85 (subjecting a woman to cruelty). The two were absconding after the incident but police later arrested them after acting on technical surveillance and intelligence inputs.The two worked as street hawkers, selling utensils for old clothes.

The authorities said that an investigation is underway and multiple angles were being probed.