Army officer, family booked for abettement to suicide

Dharamshala, June 23 (UNI) An army officer, whose former fiancee committed suicide recently, has been booked, along with his parents, on the charges of abettment to suicide.

Following recovery of a suicide note from Swati Singh, 25, who died of consuming poison on June 3, the Kangra police has registered a case of abettment forcing her to commit suicide allegedly for dowry, sources said here today.

Kangra Sub Divisional Police Officer Bindoo Sachdeva today told UNI that Lt Col Naresh Kumar Singh, lodged a complaint with the police that his daughter Swati, an MBA, had committed suicide by consuming Zinc Phosphide following the alleged communication of the breaking of her engagement with Captain Anirudh Singh. The two were engaged on May 24, this year at Nagrota, Jammu.

Captain Anirudh Singh, was posted in 16 Div E M E Bn at Sri Ganganagar in Rajasthan and his father Col A S Bais was posted at Nagrota Jammu.

The Police said the complainant had alleged that a gold set of Rs 40,000 was allegedly given to Ms Kalpana Bias, mother of Anirudh, besides cash and other gifts to Anirudh and his relatives. The date for marriage was fixed for December ten this year.

However, Anirudh allegedly phoned Swati and during an hour-long conversation, told her that he was not prepared to marry her as her parents have not allegedly given him a luxury car and Rs 5 lakh at the ring ceremony which was expected from them, the complainant said.

Swati, after receiving the phone call consumed poison and died on June 3 in Military Command Hospital at Chandi Mandir.

In a suicide note addressed to her parents, she reportedly said she was committing suicide to spare the ''life-long embarrassment'' to her parents caused by breaking of her engagement for dowry.

Ms Sachedeva said police party would go to Bathinda to ascertain the authenticity of the 'suicide note' of Swati.

She said no arrests of alleged accused persons had been made so far as investigation was in progress.

UNI XC JN KD DB2228