 "Relations between the couple, who married in 2016, had reportedly been strained for some time. Image courtesy: X/@Kings_Gambit__")
Puneet Khurana, a businessman, died by allegedly hanging from a ceiling fan at his home in the Kalyan Vihar area of northwest Delhi.
The 40-year-old café owner , in a video recorded before his death, has accused his wife and in-laws of being responsible for his death.
Khurana’s suicide is not an isolated incident.
His case is strikingly similar to Bengaluru techie Atul Subhash’s case , where the victim left behind a 24-page note and a 90-minute video, accusing his wife and her family of harassment and extortion.
Subhash’s wife and her family were subsequently arrested.
Here’s all we know about it.
The suicide
Khurana was found unresponsive on his bed with a mark around his neck on December 31 at around 4.20 pm. The police later confirmed that he died by hanging.
The authorities also seized Khurana’s video and the call recordings as evidence.
According to an NDTV report, before his demise, on December 30, Khurana allegedly had a heated conversation with his wife, Manika Pahwa over property and their co-owned bakery business, “For God’s Cake.”
In the 15-minute call, Pahwa uses derogatory language and accuses Khurana of ruining her life.
“Beggar, tell what have you asked for. I do not want to see your face. If you come in front of me, I will slap you. If the divorce is going on, will you remove me from the business? Then you will say, ‘if you threaten me, I will commit suicide,” she said.
Khurana responded, “All of this doesn’t matter anymore. Just tell me what you want.”
In Atul Subhash’s case, the victim was also found hanging in his apartment in Bengaluru in early December. The incident came to attention after Subhash emailed an NGO to advocate for men who are victims of domestic abuse and related problems.
Upon arrival, the police found a “Justice is Due” A4 sheet placard on Subhash’s chest.
The video
Puneet Khurana said in the video that he was committing suicide due to mental torture and irrational demands from his wife Pahwa and in-laws. He explained how his current divorce proceedings with his wife and in-laws had turned into a sour battle despite having been started with mutual consent.
Khurana said he was subjected to demands that were too much for him, such as an extra Rs 10 lakh payment that he was unable to make.
He said, “I am about to commit suicide because I am extremely tortured by my in-laws and my wife. We have already filed for mutual divorce on certain terms and conditions. Obviously, when it comes to mutual divorce we have signed some conditions in court. We have to fulfil those conditions within the period of 180 days.”
“But my in-laws and my wife are pressurizing me with a new set of conditions which are beyond my scope. They are asking for another Rs 10 lakh which I don’t have the capacity to pay. I cannot ask my parents as they already have paid enough,” he added.
In Subhash suicide case , the 34-year-old techie shared a 90-minute video alleging that his wife’s family would repeatedly demand lakhs of rupees, and when he refused to give, his wife left Bengaluru home with their son in 2021.
Subhash revealed that his wife had not let him meet his son since they had separated. His brother also stated in the complaint that the deceased’s wife had demanded Rs 30 lakh from Subhash to let him meet their son.
Marital discord
After getting married in 2016, Khurana and Pahwa ran the popular Woodbox Café together.
Two years later, though, the couple’s relationship worsened, and they began living apart in 2022, which finally resulted in mutual divorce proceedings.
On the other hand, Subhash, who hailed from Uttar Pradesh, said he married Nikita Singhania after finding her on a matchmaking website. The couple had a son the following year.
Harassment allegations
Khurana’s family claims that Pahwa threatened to intensify the dispute, including bringing false charges against them, if her demands were not fulfilled, even in spite of court-mandated terms for their separation.
Pahwa claimed to have been the victim of “toxically and narcissistic abuse” but to be free in a cryptic social media message she put out a few days prior to the death. calling her abusers “insecure cowards.”
Khurana’s family, however, argues that the accusations of abuse were a calculated ruse to deflect criticism from her own behaviour. They claim that she preemptively framed herself as a victim and timed her public remarks to avoid attention.
According to Khurana’s family, Pahwa made five demands to end their divorce, one of which was a monthly lawyer’s fee of Rs 70,000.
Similar to the latest incident, Subhash’s wife had reportedly filed nine false cases against Atul Subhash , which included charges such as murder, dowry harassment, and unnatural sex, among others. However, his wife later withdrew the case.
Pahwa, along with her sister and parents, has been accused of repeated harassment by Khurana’s family. His sister claims that the abuse included emotional manipulation in addition to monetary pressures. She also reportedly hacked Khurana’s social media accounts and harassed him.
“She, her sister, and her parents mentally tortured and harassed him. There is a video recording of around 59 minutes, in which Puneet has mentioned details of harassment he faced. The woman had even hacked Puneet’s social media account,” the sister said.
According to Khurana’s mother, her son preferred to keep his problems to himself in order to spare his family more suffering.
“She (Pahwa) used to keep torturing him… I want justice for him,” Khurana’s mother said.
Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest Delhi) Bhisham Singh said an investigation is underway and statements are being recorded.
Singh said, “The father of Puneet Khurana, said that his son was going through marital discord and alleged that his daughter-in-law harassed him, which led to his suicide. We have seized the man’s mobile phone, and the family’s claims are being verified. An inquiry is underway with both families participating in the investigation. Manika’s family has made counter-allegations, and a divorce case is also ongoing."
Khurana’s mobile phone has been sent for forensic examination, police said.
With inputs from agencies