Chandigarh, Nov 2: — Police have booked a man, his sister, and brother-in-law for dowry death after a 22-year-old woman, identified as Nimita Raj, was found hanging at her rented home in Mauli Jagran, just 15 days after moving in with her husband.
The accused have been named as Rajneesh, Nimita’s husband, his sister Rama, and Rama’s husband Sandeep.
According to the complaint filed by Nimita’s father, Majnu, a resident of Madari village in Aurangabad, Sitapur (Uttar Pradesh), his daughter was “subjected to continuous harassment, physical assault and repeated dowry demands” by her in-laws. “They demanded a Scorpio car and took away all her gold jewellery,” Majnu stated in his written complaint submitted to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister during a Janata Darshan on August 29.
Nimita had married Rajneesh on December 9, 2024. Her father said he borrowed about ₹15 lakh for the wedding. “Soon after, she began telling us how he would come home drunk, beat her over small issues and taunt her saying, ‘What have you brought from home?’” Majnu added.
The family alleged that Rajneesh and his relatives threatened them, boasting of “high-level connections within Chandigarh” and claiming “nothing could be done” against them.
After Nimita was found dead in July, Majnu alleged that police sent her body for post-mortem without informing the family. “We were told late at night that it was suicide, but we don’t believe that. The report, we suspect, was influenced to cover up the incident,” he said.
Initially, a zero FIR was registered at Naimisharanya police station in Sitapur under Sections 80(2) (dowry death) and 85 (cruelty by husband or relative) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act. The Uttar Pradesh police then forwarded the case to their Chandigarh counterparts, who lodged an FIR under the same provisions at Mauli Jagran police station on October 31.
Police officials said a sub-inspector-level officer has been assigned to investigate the case further.
