NEW DELHI: Akriti got married in April. Barely three months later, she was dead after allegedly falling from the third floor of an NDMC residential building in south Delhi. Days before her death, the 28-year-old sales executive had allegedly told her mother that she feared her husband might kill her.On Sunday night, Delhi Police arrested her husband and booked him in a dowry death case.Police registered an FIR under provisions of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to dowry death, cruelty by husband or relatives, and common intention after Akriti’s family accused her husband, Arastu Sikka, and his relatives of subjecting her to sustained harassment over dowry. Arastu’s sister, who was also Akriti’s school friend, has been named as a co-accused.Prima facie, police said the incident appeared to be a case of suicide, but the circumstances leading to Akriti’s death on Saturday remain under investigation.According to Akriti’s mother, her daughter had repeatedly complained of physical abuse after her marriage. In her statement to police, she alleged that on June 17, Arastu beat Akriti with a belt after finding her phone on mute and suspecting her of having an extramarital affair.The mother further alleged that on June 29, Akriti called her in fear and said she believed her husband might kill her. The same day, Arastu allegedly assaulted her again after she refused to reheat food.Akriti’s family alleged that her husband and in-laws demanded Rs 20 lakh in cash and a car as dowry and frequently harassed her over the issue. They also claimed the couple often argued over Arastu’s unemployment.The mother told police that she informed Arastu’s father about the alleged assault on Friday, a day before Akriti’s death. Instead of intervening, Arastu allegedly abused his father and blamed Akriti for the family’s disputes. She further alleged that her in-laws threatened to have her son fired from his job and assaulted.Akriti’s uncle, Mananjay Sutar, alleged that Arastu also pressured her to sell her maternal home, promising that her family would receive a flat in return. “She wanted to support her mother financially, but he had issues with that. He also did not want her to work,” he said.While Akriti’s family claimed she left her office with Arastu on Saturday evening, police said preliminary findings suggest she travelled alone on the Yellow Line Metro towards Saket before reaching the NDMC residential building at Palika Kunj, where she allegedly fell from the third floor.Investigators are trying to establish why she went to the building and what transpired before her death. Akriti’s mother also told police that Arastu and his sister called the family on Saturday evening claiming she was missing. Police said the investigation is continuing.
