A 24-year-old youth allegedly killed his wife by hanging her from a ceiling fan following an altercation at her parents’ house at Maharaji Haata Colony under Khazanchi Haat police station on Tuesday.
The woman has been identified as Nikki Jha, 20. Her husband, Gaurav Upadhaya, is a resident of Darbhanga district and is on the run.
Gaurav, a medical representative, used to stay at Rajani Chowk in Purnea town since he got married to Nikki about two years ago.
Sources in Nikki’s family said she had left her home with Gaurav after her matriculation examination in 2010 and they got married at Puran Devi temple in Purnea.
The sources alleged that Nikki never visited Gaurav’s house in Darbhanga because her in-laws had not accepted her. The sources added that Gaurav used to visit his in-law’s house frequently and lived with his wife.
“We have recorded the statement of the victim’s mother, Kavita Jha. She admitted that Nikki had left home with Gaurav and the two solemnised their marriage at a temple two years ago. But Kavita also said all was not well between the two recently and they used to fight over trivial issues,” the station house officer of Khazanchi Haat police station, Arvind Kumar, said.
“Nikki’s mother told the cops that Gaurav used to beat her daughter mercilessly and hanged her to death from a ceiling fan today,” the officer told The Telegraph.
Nikki’s body was handed over to her family after an autopsy at Purnea Sadar Hospital. “It’s too early to say anything and we have to wait till the post-mortem report reaches us.”
Kavita said Gaurav came to their Maharaji Haata Colony on Monday evening. “Early this morning, we head Nikki and Gaurav fighting over some petty issues. Later, we had gone out for some household chores. On returning we found Nikki's body hanging from the ceiling fan in their room and there was no sight of Gaurav anywhere around,” she added.
“Though Gaurav used to have disagreements with his wife almost regularly, he had not sought any dowry when he got married to Nikki,” a source in Nikki’s family said.
