PANJIM: The High Court of Bombay at Goa has directed the Pernem police to register an FIR and to investigate the death of 28-year-year married woman Nidhi Gupta from Haryana, who had died under mysterious circumstances in April 2022.
Due to non-progress of the investigation two years after death, the victim’s father Sushil Kumar Gupta approached the Court praying that the Crime Branch, CID or CBI be directed to investigate the case as he had lost faith in the Pernem police.
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The petitioner stated that the Pernem police told him that the FIR would be registered only after receiving the viscera report and after due certification by the office of deputy collector, Pernem.
The division bench comprising Justice M S Karnik and Justice Valmiki Menezes on Tuesday directed the Pernem police to register a proper FIR against the concerned persons and to investigate the case.
During the hearing, public prosecutor Somnath Karpe placed on record an inquest report with regards to the death cause of Nidhi Gupta. The report concluded by observing that there was sufficient ground that meticulous investigation by the Pernem police was necessary to ascertain the exact cause and manner of death. It was also stated in the report that prima facie victim’s husband Aakansh Gupta was in some way responsible for the death and that the role of his family members needs to be examined.
The petitioner said that his daughter died under agonising suspicious and unforeseen circumstances without having any medical problems or issues with no explanation coming forth from the authorities.
Nidhi was married to Aakansh on April 26, 2021 and after a few days of marriage, she complained that her in-laws were torturing her for bringing less amount as dowry and this situation continued for eight to nine months, according to the petitioner.
On April 24, 2022, the couple arrived in Goa to celebrate their first wedding anniversary along with two friends of Aakansh, who accompanied them on the same flight and they stayed together till April 26. On April 27, the couple shifted to a hotel at Arambol and on intervening night of April 28-29, Nidhi died of unnatural death in suspicious circumstances.
The petitioner stated that when he saw Nidhi’s body in the morgue, he found injury marks on her nose and lips which appeared to be from teeth bite. He said he was confident that his daughter was murdered by her husband and in-laws.
Again on May 10, he came to Goa and submitted a detailed version of the events and filed a complaint to the then DySP Shweta Singh, narrating In detail how the murder of his daughter took place under mysterious circumstances.
On May 23, Gupta met the Pernem deputy collector while, the Pernem police recorded the statements of the petitioner and Aakansh. Adv Sahil Sardessai argued on behalf of the petitioner.
