Air hostess suicide: Police probe dowry angle, autopsy report awaited

Raju Raj

The family of the air hostess, who allegedly committed suicide by jumping off a building in south Delhi, have accused her in-laws of troubling her for dowry. Confirming the same, the Delhi Police on Monday said that a case had been filed under section 420-B of the Indian Penal Code.

Delhi Police DCP (South) Romil Baaniya said on Monday that while one post-mortem has been completed, the second is underway, adding that the actual cause of the death would be ascertained only after the reports are in.

He also confirmed that the air hostess, Anissia Batra, had sent a text to her husband just before taking the extreme step. As per an earlier report, her husband Mayank Batra was at home at the time of the incident. He immediately reached the terrace but couldn't find her. Anissia was rushed to a nearby hospital where she was declared dead by the doctors.

The police received a call from Max Hospital about the incident at 4.30 pm on Friday. As the investigation began, the police seized the bank account of Mayank Batra. The family of the deceased told the police that the couple had recently sold a flat in Vasant Vihar area of national capital, which was in the name of the deceased. This also led to conflict between the hisband and the wife.

Hours before taking the extreme step, the woman had sent a message to one of her friends saying that her husband had locked her in a room.

According to the police, a complaint about a domestic fight was filed by Anissia on June 27 as well. Following this, she had lodged a complaint at the Hauz Khas police station. In her complaint, she had also said her husband and his family would be responsible if anything happened to her.

Earlier on Monday, members of forensic team and police officials conducted searches at the residence of the air hostess in Panchsheel Park area near Hauz Khas in New Delhi.