Mumbai: A 37-year-old man was found to have committed suicide in Dharavi on Wednesday evening. The man left a suicide note in which he held his wife and in-laws responsible for the extreme step, accusing them of sustained harassment.
Dead before admission
According to the Dharavi police, Vijay Sonawane was found hanging from the ceiling fan of his residence in Shiv Shakti Nagar, Dharavi. Sonwane’s cousin sister, who stays in the locality, found him hanging when she went to visit him. Sonawane was taken to Sion Hospital where he was declared dead before admission.
“Sonawane left a suicide note in which he said that his wife and her parents had been continually harassing him to get money and to usurp his ancestral property in Solapur,” said an officer with the Dharavi police.
Police deny allegations
Locals alleged that Sonawane had approached the police earlier this month to complain against his wife and in-laws. But, the police refused to entertain him saying such harassment was only faced by the wife in a marriage and not a husband.
Senior police inspector Suryakant Bangar, however, refuted the allegations. “We did not get any such complaints and we are probing the matter.”
The police said apart from harassing him for money, Sonawane’s wife was seeking a divorce, which was adding to his stress. His wife and in-laws are in Solapur. Sonawane was alone at home when he took the extreme step. He and his wife were related to each other and had a cross-cousin marriage.
Brother files FIR
The police had earlier registered an accidental death report. On Thursday morning, based on the suicide note, Sonanwane’s brother registered an FIR against his wife and in-laws. They have been booked for abetment to suicide under the Indian Penal Code. Arrests are yet to be made in the case.
