- Akriti died suspiciously 72 days after marriage in Delhi.
- Mother alleges dowry harassment, forced job resignation.
- The case is being compared to high-profile Twisha Sharma murder.
In a fresh development, the mother of 28-year-old Delhi newlywed Akriti, whose husband was arrested on Monday in connection with her alleged dowry death, has made several allegations regarding the incident. Her revelations have drawn comparisons with the high-profile Twisha Sharma murder case in Bhopal.
Akriti died under suspicious circumstances just 72 days after her marriage. Following her death after allegedly falling from a building in the Lodhi Colony area, police began investigating her husband and in-laws.
What did Akriti's mother say?
Akriti's mother, Anu Sai Sutar, alleged that her daughter was insulted even for calling her or visiting her maternal home. She claimed that Arastu and his sister Augustika, along with other family members, pressured Akriti to leave her job and have a child.
According to Anu Sai Sutar, Akriti had married on the condition that she would continue working after marriage because her younger brother Deepu was very young and she wanted to support him financially. She said the groom's family had agreed to this condition before the wedding.
However, after the marriage, when Akriti tried to return to work, she was allegedly asked to resign. When she objected, her in-laws allegedly created difficulties for her and assigned her additional household responsibilities so that she could not continue her job.
Meanwhile, Akriti's uncle Mananjay Sutar accused Arastu of being responsible for her death and alleged that Akriti was murdered. He said, "The girl who was celebrating happily with her colleagues at the office a few hours ago, why would she commit suicide?"
Akriti's younger brother, Amay Sutar, said that she had hidden much of the alleged abuse until a day before her death, hoping that things would eventually improve.
According to him, Akriti believed that if she continued earning, saved enough money, and gradually purchased the household items over which she was allegedly taunted after her marriage, the harassment would eventually stop.
Instead of burdening a family that was still recovering financially after their father's death in 2019, she hoped to handle the situation herself.
Akriti and Arastu had dated for nearly two years before getting married on April 24 with the consent of both families. Her brother said she resumed work as a sales executive at a private company in Chhatarpur on July 1 after taking a break for her wedding.
Four days later, she was found dead after allegedly falling from the third floor of a building in Lodhi Colony.
On the day of the incident, Akriti left her office but never reached home. When repeated calls to her phone went unanswered, her family began searching for her. Later that night, a police officer answered a call made to her mobile phone and informed the family that she had been admitted to a hospital after allegedly falling from the third floor of an NDMC residential complex in Lodhi Colony.
Investigators are examining CCTV footage, call records, phone data, and other digital evidence to determine the circumstances surrounding Akriti's death. The role of other family members is also being investigated.
The case has drawn comparisons with the Twisha Sharma murder case in Bhopal, where Twisha's in-laws were accused of dowry harassment, mental torture, and murder. Her mother-in-law was a retired district judge. Police arrested her husband, Samarth Singh, and mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, in connection with the case.