Gauri Garje Suicide Case: Court Questions Absence Of Investigation Officer, Accused Sent To Police Custody Until November 27

Mumbai, Nov 24: The investigation into the death of 32-year-old Gauri Garje Palve, who allegedly died by suicide, has taken a serious turn as the Worli Police arrested Anant Garje, the personal assistant to Maharashtra Minister Pankaja Munde.

The court on Monday remanded him to police custody till November 27. Two other accused sister-in-law Sheetal Bhagwan Garje Andhale and brother-in-law Ajay Bhagwan Garje are currently absconding.

Court Questions Missing Officer; Police Seek Custody

During the custody hearing, the Magistrate questioned why the investigating officer was absent. Police argued that the accused had a relationship with another woman, which allegedly drove Gauri to suicide.

The postmortem report is still pending. Police also revealed that the accused could tamper with evidence and requested 10 days of police custody, while Worli Police sought custody until November 27.

Defence Opposes Custody; Calls Case Cooperated

Opposing the police request, defence lawyer Mangesh Deshmukh, representing Anant Garje, said, “My client voluntarily appeared before the police.We are fully cooperating with the investigation. There is nothing left to seize from us. Even though Anant’s sister is named in the FIR, she has never even been to Mumbai. The defence sought minimum custody.

Defence Claims Abortion Documents Old, Unrelated

Deshmukh added that the abortion documents cited by the police pertain to an incident from before 2021, unrelated to the current case. Whatever happened was with the consent of both families. Police will verify everything during investigation. We don't know whether they have the abortion documents or not.

Police Reviewing CCTV, Phone; Family Alleges Harassment

He further stated that Anant had already handed over his mobile phone to the police and that CCTV footage from the building showing how Anant allegedly moved from the 29th-floor refuge area to the 30th-floor flat is being reviewed. Anant’s brother and sister are government employees.

FIR Alleges Harassment, Abuse, and Abetment

Worli Police arrested Anant Garje after Gauri’s parents filed an FIR alleging mental harassment, physical abuse, pressure for divorce, and abetment to suicide. Gauri and Anant married on 7 February 2025 in Beed. Both worked in Mumbai, and Anant’s brother Ajay lived with them.

Family Points to Suspicious Documents and Threats

Within months, Gauri faced harassment, as per the FIR. On 30 September, she sent her father WhatsApp documents from Mamata Hospital, Latur including a consent form for a pregnant woman named Kiran Siddharth Ingle, where Anant Garje was listed as the husband. This raised suspicion of Anant’s extramarital affair.

Relatives Claim Threats and Physical Assault

After this, Gauri’s sister-in-law reportedly threatened her like “If you cannot adjust, I will get my brother remarried.” When Gauri’s parents visited on 3 October, they noticed injury marks on her face and neck. Gauri revealed that Husband Anant threatened her that If you tell anyone, I will kill myself and you will be blamed.

Events of November 22 Raise Questions

On 22 November, around 6:45 pm, Anant called Gauri’s father claiming she was attempting suicide. However, he did not let Gauri speak to them. Soon after, he called again saying that Gauri had died. The parents rushed to Mumbai and were told she had died by suicide. However, they suspect that Gauri was murdered.

Accused Denies Allegations; Claims He Found Her Dead

Anant has denied all allegations and claims, Gauri called him before the incident, when he was on a tour with Minister Pankaja Munde at the time. After he rushed back home, but Gauri had already hanged herself. When she didn’t answer the door, he accessed the flat through the 31st-floor window to the 30th floor, where he found her body.

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