Couple die in ‘suicide pact’, messages mother before hanging themselves

NATIONAL, February 26, 2018: A young married couple was found dead at their flat in south Delhi's Govindpuri on Sunday morning. The police suspect it to be a case of suicide pact.

The woman had tipped off her mother-in-law about the alleged suicide pact, but it was hours before the family checked the message and reacted, said Chinmoy Biswal, deputy commissioner of police (south-east).

"In the message, the woman said that she and her husband were committing suicide. They did not mention the reason behind their extreme step," said the DCP.

Biswal said that though prima facie it appears like a suicide pact, the investigators will await the autopsy report before judging whether the woman also committed suicide or was murdered. Since the couple was married for less than seven years, as per law the case will be probed by a sub-divisional magistrate.

The dead couple has been identified as Arpita Bagga, 28, and her 30-year-old husband, Mohit Bagga. "The couple had a love marriage two years ago with the consent of their parents," said the DCP.

"For the last three months, Mohit was working with a sports events company in Delhi. He had spent last year in New Zealand to pursue a course. Arpita was a homemaker," the DCP added.

The couple lived in a one-bedroom apartment in Govindpuri. Mohit's father is a south Delhi-based jeweller. Arpita's parents live in Banaras. The couple had no children, said the police.

As per to the DCP, when Mohit's mother saw Arpita's WhatsApp message late in the morning, she immediately alerted one of her relatives who live near the couple's house. The WhatsApp message had been sent from the Arpita's mobile phone around 4.45 am on Sunday.

"We had received a PCR call about a suicide attempt. The door of the flat was broken by Mohit's relative in front of the PCR staff," said the DCP. Inside, Arpita's body was lying on the floor and Mohit's was hanging from the ceiling fan. While there was a dupatta near Arpita's body, Mohit appeared to have used a bed sheet to hang himself.

"There were ligature marks around Arpita's neck, suggesting she too hanged herself, but her body must have fallen," said the DCP, adding he would await the autopsy report before concluding whether or not Arpita had been killed first.

The officer quoted the couple's families as saying that Mohit and Arpita were living a "happy life" and were financially stable. "We hope to get clarity on the cause of the extreme step after speaking to the couple's parents. Today, they were too shocked for us to talk to them in detail," said the officer.

Source: Hindustan Times

Featured image (courtesy): Hindustan Times