A 30-year-old pregnant woman working with the Ministry of Defence was found dead at her home in southwest Delhi’s Dwarka, with police registering a case against her husband and in-laws following allegations of harassment over dowry.
The deceased was identified as Nazia Khanam, an Assistant Section Officer in the Ministry of Defence. Police said she was three months pregnant. She had married Mohammad Azam Ali Khan, who works as a supply chain manager in Gurugram, on April 11 this year. Her husband is currently absconding, according to police.
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Police received a call regarding the incident at around 4.21pm on Friday. A team from Sector 23 police station reached the residence and took the woman’s body into custody. The Sub-Divisional Magistrate was informed, and the body was shifted to the mortuary at Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital for further proceedings.
According to a senior police officer, Khanam and her husband had gone to a hospital for a check-up earlier that day. After returning home, the couple reportedly had an argument. Police said the circumstances that followed are part of the ongoing investigation.
Initially, Khanam’s family members appeared before the Executive Magistrate and submitted written statements. At that stage, police said, they did not raise allegations against her husband or other members of her matrimonial family.
However, the following day, her parents returned to the SDM and submitted another complaint, in which they accused her husband and other members of the family of harassment.
According to the complaint, Khanam’s parents alleged that she had faced physical and mental harassment and that the alleged treatment contributed to her death. Police are examining these allegations as part of the investigation.
Based on the subsequent complaint and the information provided by the family, police registered a case at Sector 23 police station under Sections 85 and 108 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), relating to cruelty by a husband or his relatives and abetment of suicide.
Khanam’s family has also requested that Section 80 of the BNS, relating to dowry death, be added to the case. Police said the request is being examined and that further legal action will depend on the findings of the investigation.
The police are now investigating the circumstances surrounding Khanam’s death and verifying the allegations made by her parents. Officials said statements and other relevant evidence will be examined before determining the next course of action.
The case has brought renewed attention to allegations of harassment within matrimonial families and the legal safeguards available in cases involving suspected cruelty and dowry-related abuse.
Police said further action will be taken after the facts are established through the investigation.
