CCTV Footage Of Heated Argument Between Delhi Cafe Owner, His Wife Surfaces Online After His Suicide (Screengrab) | X
New Delhi: Days after 40-year-old Delhi bakery owner Puneet Khurana died by suicide, a CCTV footage of a heated argument between him and his estranged wife surfaced online. In the purpoted video, Khurana’s wife, Manika Pahwa, could be heard abusing and threatening him.
In the video, the Delhi bakery owner and his estranged wife were sitting in a room and soon she started shouting at him. “I will go to your locality and create a scene. They keep crying on the phone,” Pahwa is heard saying. While abusing Khurana, his estranged wife said that her life was also ruined.
The 40-year-old businessman died by suicide on New Year’s Eve. He was found hanging in his room in Model Town’s Kalyan Vihar area. Khurana spoke to his estranged wife on Monday night, hours before taking the extreme step. The businessman recorded the conversation. In the recording, the couple could be heard arguing over business issues.
“Beggar, tell me what have you asked for. I do not want to see your face. If you come in front of me, I will slap you. If the divorce is going on, will you remove me from the business? Then you will say, if you threaten me, I will commit suicide.” In response, the man dismissed her grievances, saying, “All of this doesn’t matter anymore. Just tell me what you want,” Pahwa could be heard saying in the 15-minute call recording as reported by NDTV.
“All of this doesn’t matter anymore. Just tell me what you want,” the businessman said in response.
The couple got married in 2016 and within two years, their marriage started to become sour. They approached the court and filed a divorce by mutual consent.
Meanwhile, almost a week before Khurana’s death, Pahwa shared a cryptic post on her Instagram handle. In her Instagram post, which was shared six days before Khurana’s death, his estranged wife said that she was healing well “after all the toxicity and narcissistic abuse”, reported NDTV. She also said that she was trying to “be better and to be indifferent” every day.
However, she did not name anybody in her post, Pahwa said that higher powers would decide what was best for her “abusers”.
“Well feminism suits me, as idealistic values are my core & feminism means giving & getting mere respect. To one another. No slave treatment, and no stopping some girl to speak her mind (sic). Even a house help, guard, rikshawala, a tiny kid deserves respectful treatment. Once a coward fought with me that ‘respect has to be earned’. Ufff! What disgrace na? I disagree, respect has to be given to each and everyone. If not then you lost the respect baby. Phew! Maybe that’s why in India, we address people with ‘aap’, ‘bhaiya’, ‘didi’ to even strangers, isn’t it?” she wrote as reported by the media house.
The couple started together Woodbox Cafe in Delhi.
After Khurana’s death, his family blamed his estranged wife for pushing him to take the extreme step. “The father of the deceased, Puneet Khurana, said that his son was going through marital discord and alleged that his daughter-in-law harassed him, which led to his suicide,” Bhisham Singh, DCP North West Delhi, told ANI.
“We have seized the deceased man’s mobile phone, and the family’s claims are being verified. An inquiry is underway with both families participating in the investigation. Manika’s family has made counter-allegations, and a divorce case is also ongoing,” he added.
