Husband beats pregnant SWAT commando wife to death with dumbbell
What's the story
A SWAT (Special Weapons and Tactics) commando of the Delhi Police, Kajal Chaudhary died on Tuesday after being attacked by her husband, Ankur, with a dumbbell at their southwest Delhi residence. Her father revealed that she was four months pregnant. Ankur, who works as a clerk in the Ministry of Defence, was arrested on January 22 soon after the incident. He was initially charged with attempted murder, but the charges will be upgraded to murder following Kajal's death.
Allegations
Family alleges dowry harassment, police cite financial disputes
Kajal's family has alleged that she was subjected to dowry harassment by her in-laws, despite their love marriage in 2023. However, the police have said that the assault was due to frequent arguments between Kajal and Ankur over financial matters. "The couple might have taken some loans and often had disputes related to this and other household expenses. On Jan 22, Ankur banged Kajal's head against the frame of a door before attacking...with the dumbbell," a Delhi Police officer said.
Assault aftermath
Incident details and medical response
Kajal's brother Nikhil, a constable at Parliament Street police station, said the couple had an argument on January 22. "Kajal called me up when the argument escalated," Nikhil told TOI. While he was still on call with his sister, Ankur allegedly started hitting her with a dumbbell. Afterward, Ankur took Kajal to a local hospital before she was shifted to Yashoda Hospital in Ghaziabad due to the severity of her injuries.
Ongoing probe
Investigation underway, community mourns loss
Kajal succumbed to her injuries at Yashoda Hospital on Tuesday morning. A post-mortem examination was conducted later that day. She joined the Delhi Police in 2022 and was posted to the Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) team when she died. She married Ankur in 2023, and the couple has a one-and-a-half-year-old son.