Gurgaon: 35-year-old man hangs self on Instagram live; college student booked for abetment

In a shocking incident on Monday evening, a 35-year-old man died by suicide after allegedly being blackmailed by a 20-year-old woman in Gurgaon. The incident occurred inside a guesthouse room in Sector 38 where he had reportedly checked in with the woman. The tragedy occurred shortly after the female companion departed from there. The man, identified as Vikram, had booked the guesthouse room to celebrate the 20-year-old woman’s birthday on Sunday evening. Vikram’s family later accused her of blackmailing him for several months using a video, leading to a case of abetment to suicide being filed against her. Vikram, a father of two children, was pursuing a pharmacology course and had reportedly met the young woman, who was also a student, during their classes. Disputing the police’s claim that the woman had left the guesthouse prior to the tragic event, Vikram’s wife, Neeru, asserted that the college student had been present in the room and had witnessed her husband taking his own life. Neeru disclosed, “The woman hails from Mandi in Himachal Pradesh. She was aware of Vikram’s marital status and threatened to reveal their relationship. She possessed a video as evidence, which she used to extort money from my husband. He had already given her Rs 20 lakh, but she demanded more. She pushed my husband towards suicide, and the police should apprehend her without delay.” According to Neeru, after checking into the guesthouse on Sunday evening, the woman compelled Vikram to make a video call to his family to show that he was celebrating her birthday. She further alleged, “She was present in the room when Vikram took his life, merely observing without making any effort to prevent the tragedy. I urge the police to examine her phone, and everything will become evident.” Subsequent to a complaint by Neeru, the college student has been charged under Section 306 (abetment to suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) at Sadar police station. Subhash Boken, a spokesperson for Gurgaon police, stated, “Based on the information we have received so far, it appears that the woman left the room prior to Vikram’s suicide. We are in the process of obtaining CCTV footage from the guesthouse and gathering other crucial evidence.” A collection of suicide prevention helpline numbers are available here. Please reach out if you or anyone you know is in need of support. The All-India helpline number is: 022-27546669