Man detained for abetment to suicide after 20-yr-old woman’s body found in Narmada canal

A 25-YEAR-OLD man has been detained Saturday in connection with an alleged case of abetment to suicide after a 20-year-old woman’s body was found floating in the Narmada canal in Panchmahal district on January 27, the police said.

The woman, who was allegedly in a relationship with the accused, had left behind a five-page note purportedly claiming that she was ending her life because she “felt cheated and exploited after the accused established physical relationship” and cut ties, the police said. After the woman’s father submitted a complaint at Kalol police station Friday, the police booked the accused on charges of abetment to suicide.

Deputy Superintendent of Police, Halol division, HA Rathod said the woman, who had completed a software course from Pune in Maharashtra, had shared the purported note on a WhatsApp group with friends on the day she went missing from her home on January 25.

“Her cousin happened to be part of the same group and read the note. She contacted the family. By the time, the woman had already left from her house. The family immediately rushed to Halol rural police station to file a complaint. Her body was found on January 27 near Kalol and so the offence has been registered there,” Rathod said.

In the purported note, police said, the victim accused the 25-year-old man of “promising to marry her” and then “coercing” her into a physical relationship. She also claimed that on January 22 they had met at a restaurant where the accused allegedly asked her to delete their photographs and informed her that he was planning to marry someone else, the police said.

Rathod said, “We have initiated a probe to ascertain how the two met as well as the nature of their relationship. We will question the accused once he is formally arrested following the Covid-19 test.”