The Cuffe Parade police have arrested a 31-year-old Navy man days after his wife allegedly died by suicide over alleged harassment by husband and in-laws and dowry demand.
The accused person has been identifed as Kalyan Chaki. He was arrested on the charges of dowry death (304 B), abetment of suicide (306) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) along with sections of assault and criminal intimidation. The police have also booked his parents and brother in the case. Chaki works as petty master at Navy said an officer from Cuffe Parade police station.
According to the police, the deceased Puja Mandal, 23 and Chaki hailed from West Bengal and they got married in a court marriage in March 2020 while the ceremony took place later in November 25, last year, after which they started staying together.
Acoording to the police, a day before her death she called her family at midnight and asked them to rescue her as her husband was assaulting her, after which the matter was reported to Cuffe Parade police station and Chaki was booked for assault charges, the police also counselled him. Her husband also allegedly eavesdropped on her conversations with her family and used to abuse his wife, stated the FIR.
Her family was trying to book an air ticket for Puja however as she was not vaccinated they could not get her a ticket. The same day, on October 11, Chaki informed them that Puja had hanged herself from ceiling fan, and while she was rushed to INHS Ashwini hospital, she did not survive.
Her father could reach Mumbai only on Monday when police recorded his statement. Soon after the FIR was registered and the police arrested Chaki on Tuesday, wherein he is in police custody till Saturday.
A month after the marriage her husband, in-laws started harassing her for petty reasons and soon started demanding dowry alleged her father Tapan Mandal in his statement to the police, on couple of occasions she was also severely assaulted by the accused, while her mother-in- law took Rs 3 lakh from her father for buying a land, he added. Even after this her harrasment never stopped alleged her father.
After repeated complaints, her father took her to back to their home however every time her husband convinced them and used to take her back.
Recently in September both shifted to Mumbai however here as well their rift continued and he started to assault her. In her phone calls Puja told her family that her husband could even kill her and requested them to take her back immediately.
