UP woman dies after alleged dowry harassment, husband and father-in-law arrested

A 24-year-old woman died allegedly after jumping from the terrace of her three-storey matrimonial house in Uttar Pradesh's Gautam Buddh Nagar district following harassment by her in-laws over dowry, police said on Monday. The woman's 26-year-old husband and father-in-law have been arrested, the police said, adding they are investigating the matter even as the woman's family alleged she was killed for dowry by the in-laws. Deputy Commissioner of Police Shailendra Kumar Singh said a complaint was received at Ecotech-3 police station regarding the death of Deepika, who got married around a year and a half ago to Hrithik, a resident of Jalpura village. Deepika died after jumping from the terrace on Sunday night, allegedly driven to despair by the harassment, the officer said. A case was registered based on a written complaint by the woman's father.

Police said the woman's husband Hrithik and father-in-law Manoj were arrested and further legal proceedings were on. In his complaint, Deepika's father Sanjay Nagar alleged that he received a phone call from his daughter on Sunday afternoon during which she was crying and told him that her in-laws were assaulting her over dowry demands. He alleged that the in-laws were demanding a Toyota Fortuner SUV and an additional Rs 45-50 lakh in cash as dowry. Nagar said that around 7 pm, he, along with some associates, went to his daughter's matrimonial home, a three-storey independent house, where discussions were held with the in-laws in an attempt to resolve the issue. He said that around 12.30 am, he received a call from her in-laws informing him that his daughter had fallen from the roof of the house and got injured and asking the family to reach Sharda Hospital directly.

"When I reached the hospital, I found my daughter lying dead," Nagar said, adding that the body had injury marks too. In his complaint, Nagar named seven persons who were allegedly present in the house at the time of the incident, including Hrithik and Manoj, both of whom were arrested on Monday morning. The incident came months after another alleged dowry death in Greater Noida in August 2025, when a woman identified as Nikki Bhati was allegedly set ablaze by her husband and in-laws over a demand for Rs 36 lakh. Speaking to reporters on Monday, Sanjay Nagar alleged, "They killed my daughter over a Fortuner car and cash. I gave them a Scorpio N and cash on various occasions, but they killed her. I want justice from the government." Police said efforts were on to arrest the remaining accused named in the complaint. "The husband Hrithik and father-in-law Manoj have been arrested. Efforts are on to arrest the others. Hrithik's father has a local business," a police officer said. Responding to allegations by the victim's family regarding the marks found on Deepika's body, police said the matter was being investigated and videography of the post-mortem examination would be conducted. "Relevant sections will be added as per the findings of the investigation," police said. Speaking to reporters, Deepika's uncle Sunil Nagar alleged that around Rs 1 crore was spent on the wedding by the bride's family, which included a Mahindra Scorpio vehicle, 35-40 tolas of gold, and cash given as dowry. He said that soon after the wedding in December 2024, Deepika's in-laws started demanding a Toyota Fortuner SUV and began harassing her. According to the family, Hrithik is an LLB degree holder while Deepika had completed BA and B.Ed. Family members said problems started emerging within a few months of the marriage, but Deepika's parents chose not to approach police, hoping the matter would be resolved amicably through discussions.