A 25-year-old former beauty queen has died just 17 months after her family spent nearly one crore rupees on her wedding. Deepika Nagar allegedly fell from the roof of her in-laws' home in Greater Noida, a suburb of Delhi, India, according to police.
The incident occurred late Sunday in the Jalpura area under Ecotech-III police station limits. Deepika's family claims she was subjected to mental and physical harassment by her in-laws for additional dowry, despite the substantial amount already paid.
"They wanted a Fortuner car and Rs 51 lakh," said Sanjay Narang, Deepika's father, speaking to NDTV with tears in his eyes. The grieving father stated that the problems began three to four months into the marriage.
"We didn't file a police complaint. We kept thinking, 'Let it pass, let it pass.' We tried very hard to save her," the father said, sitting outside a Noida mortuary, when asked why they did not approach the authorities earlier.
Deepika's body has been sent for post-mortem examination. Her husband, Ritick Tanwar, and father-in-law, Manoj, have been arrested in connection with the case.
"Last night, information was received that a woman who had been married for one and a half years died after jumping from a rooftop. Police immediately reached the scene, and necessary legal formalities are being conducted," said Shailendra Kumar Singh, Deputy Commissioner of Police (DCP), Central Noida.
"Based on a complaint filed by the victim's family, the woman's husband and father-in-law have been arrested," the police officer added.
According to the complaint filed by Deepika's father, the in-laws were dissatisfied with the dowry given at the time of marriage. Sanjay Nagar maintains that he gave Rs 11 lakh in cash, gold worth Rs 50 lakh, furniture, and a Scorpio car during the wedding in December 2024.
On Sunday, Deepika reportedly called her family crying and informed them she was being beaten and abused by her husband and in-laws. Her father, accompanied by relatives, visited the in-laws' house that evening to try to resolve the dispute. Later, the family received information that Deepika had fallen from the roof and was seriously injured.
The father dismissed the suicide theory, calling his daughter's death a murder. "They killed her. After beating her, they threw her down from the roof. They did it together. What is this talk of suicide? This is murder. She has been stabbed in the stomach with a knife or a screwdriver," the father claimed.
"Those beasts killed her last night out of greed for dowry. For the past 10 months, she had been constantly telling us about her plight, but we kept trying to reason with her. It made no difference. We even spoke yesterday. I had actually met her yesterday. As soon as we left for home, we received a call at 12:30 am. There are visible marks of injury on her body. After killing her, they threw her down from the roof," he added.
The victim's family alleged that injury marks were found on Deepika's body and blood was coming from her nose and ears at the hospital. When asked if he regretted giving dowry, the father said, "The regret is absolute. What is there to be done now? Our daughter is gone. What good does giving a car do to her?"
