![\"Husband](\"https:\/\/static.toiimg.com\/thumb\/msid-132222612,imgsize-120655,width-400,height-225,resizemode-75\/whatsapp-image-2026-07-05-at-32602-pmjpeg.jpg\" "\\"pix")
<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\nNew Delhi: <\/span>Police on Sunday night registered a case of dowry death and arrested the husband of a 28-year-old woman who allegedly fell to her death from the third floor of an NDMC residential building in south Delhi\u2019s Palika Kunj on Saturday.Prima facie, it appears to be a case of suicide, though the circumstances leading to Akriti\u2019s death are under investigation, according to cops.A sales executive, Akriti married Arastu Sikka, who is jobless, this April. The couple lived with Arastu\u2019s father in Pushp Vihar.Saying that they do not know why and how she went to the building, Akriti\u2019s relatives, including her mother and brother, alleged foul play. Claiming that she had been subjected to sustained harassment for dowry, they accused her husband and in-laws of demanding Rs 20 lakh in cash and a car. The couple also frequently fought over the issue of Arastu\u2019s unemployment, they added.The FIR also names Arastu\u2019s sister, who was Akriti\u2019s school friend, as an accused. The case was registered at Lodhi Colony police station under several provisions of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) relating to dowry death, cruelty by husband or relatives, and common intention. Akriti\u2019s relatives sought a wider probe into the role of her in-laws behind her death.In her statement to police, Akriti\u2019s mother alleged that her daughter would repeatedly complain to her about being physically assaulted. The mother claimed that on June 17, Arastu beat Akriti with a belt after finding her phone on mute and on suspicion that she was having an extramarital affair. On June 29, Akriti allegedly told her mother that she feared her husband might kill her.The same day, he assaulted her again after she refused to reheat some food, the mother told cops, adding that she informed Arastu\u2019s father about the assault on Friday, the day before her death. Arastu allegedly abused his father as well and blamed Akriti for the frequent quarrels. Her mother also claimed that Akriti\u2019s in-laws threatened to have her brother fired from his job and beaten up.Akriti\u2019s uncle, Mananjay Sutar, said Arastu often pressured her to sell her maternal house, promising that her family would be given a flat in return. \u201cSince her father is no more, she wanted to support her mother financially, but he had issues with that. He also did not want her to continue working,\u201d the uncle said.While her family claimed that Akriti left her office with Arastu on Saturday evening, police said preliminary findings suggest she travelled alone on the Yellow Line Metro towards Saket. Investigators are examining how and why she reached the NDMC building and are verifying the family\u2019s allegations. According to the FIR, Akriti\u2019s mother told police that Arastu and his sister called up her family on Saturday evening claiming Akriti was missing.<\/div>\n