A 24-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide because of mental harassment from a youth, Karan Rawal, whom she had met on social media, and alleged harassment from her boyfriend, Suraj Acharya. She is reported to have jumped from the terrace of the building where she resided in Jogeshwari East, on May 3.
Following her death, her father filed a case against both her boyfriend, Suraj Acharya, and her online friend, Karan Rawal, both of whom are around 25 years old, under Section 306 of the Indian Penal Code (abetment of suicide). Karan Rawal has been arrested by police and produced in court, which remanded him in police custody until May 10. The girl’s boyfriend is expected to be questioned by the police soon.
The victim’s father, aged 49, resides in Jogeshwari East and owns a private company. His 24-year-old daughter, a BCom graduate, was a private tutor. In October 2023, she informed her mother that she was friends with Acharya, a resident of Borivali, and that they planned to get married.
Meanwhile, she was introduced to Rawal on social media. Following this introduction, Rawal persistently sought to meet her, despite her attempts to avoid him. He began troubling her by loitering near her residence and, upon meeting her, verbally and physically abusing her. Lately, this had escalated to mental harassment. She confided in her parents, and her father attempted to tell him over the phone to stay away from her. However, he responded rudely and threatened to disturb his daughter’s life.
Despite her telling Rawal that she was in love with Acharya and was going to marry him, the former began to threaten her with dire consequences if she continued her relationship. This stress took a toll on her mental well-being, and though her father contemplated filing a police complaint, she resisted, for fear of defamation.
Upon learning of the situation, Acharya grew suspicious of her. A few days ago, Rawal demanded money from her, which she refused to pay. On the other hand, Acharya had begun to question her character and also threaten her. These events compounded her mental stress. On May 3, at 5pm, she jumped from the terrace of her building.
Her parents rushed her to the nearby Kulkarni Hospital, where she was pronounced dead on arrival. Subsequently, her body was sent for post-mortem.
The Meghwadi police arrived at the scene on receiving the news. Her father, in his statement to the police, implicated Acharya and Rawal in his daughter’s suicide. Following an investigation, the police registered a case against both for allegedly driving her to suicide.
