'To ascertain..facts': Bengaluru techie's wife ordered to appear for interrogation
What's the story
The Bengaluru Police have pasted a notice outside the residence of the wife of Atul Subhash, the techie who died by suicide, alleging harassment by his wife and her relatives. "There are reasonable grounds to interrogate you to ascertain the facts and circumstances," the notice read. She has been directed to appear before the investigating officer in Bengaluru within three days.
Twitter Post
Police at the Singhania's residence
#WATCH | Techie dies by suicide in Bengaluru | Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh: Bengaluru Police paste notice outside the residence of the wife of Atul Subhash, the techie who died by suicide.
— ANI (@ANI) December 13, 2024
"There are reasonable grounds to interrogate you to ascertain the facts and circumstances. You… pic.twitter.com/oIg0uHBRiY
Evacuated home
Police find Singhania residence deserted, phones unreachable
The notice was issued a day after a Bengaluru police team reached Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh, but found the Singhania residence locked and their phones switched off. Jaunpur Kotwali inspector Mithilesh Kumar Mishra said Subhash's mother-in-law Nisha and her son Anurag had left their house on a motorbike the previous night. When asked where they were going by reporters, Anurag said they were leaving because his mother was unwell.
Legal action
FIR filed against Nikita and her family by Subhash's brother
Subhash's brother, Bikas, has filed an FIR against Nikita, her mother Nisha, her brother Anurag, and her uncle Sushil Singhania. The FIR alleges that Nikita's family demanded ₹3 crore to drop police cases against Subhash and ₹30 lakh for visitation rights to see his son. Subhash left behind a 24-page suicide note and an 81-minute video accusing Nikita and her family of harassment and extortion. He also alleged bias by a family court judge in Uttar Pradesh.
Posthumous evidence
Subhash left behind suicide note and video accusing in-laws
His lawyer, Dinesh Mishra, said Subhash was ordered to pay ₹40,000 monthly for child maintenance, which he might have found burdensome given his ₹84,000 salary. However, Nikita's lawyer, Vinod Srivastava, defended the court's handling of the divorce and custody case as legally sound. The Singhania family has also denied involvement in Subhash's death and accused his family of demanding a ₹10 lakh dowry shortly after marriage.
Counterclaims
Singhania family denies involvement in Subhash's death
In a 2022 complaint filed by Nikita, she alleged that her husband treated their relationship "like a beast" and demanded ₹10 lakh in dowry. "(They) started torturing me physically and mentally for dowry. When I told my parents about the harassment and dowry, my parents explained to me that everything will be fine." "But no improvement of any kind came in my husband and in-laws," she said.