NEW DELHI: The suicide of Puneet Khurana, a 40-year-old bakery co-owner from Delhi, has taken a dark turn as multiple videos and audio recordings shed light on alleged harassment and financial demands by his wife, Manika Pahwa, and her family.
Khurana, co-owner of the popular bakery chain, Woodbox Cafe, was found dead at his Model Town’s Kalyan Vihar residence on December 31.
A key video, dated October 12, 2023, accessed by this newspaper, captures Khurana in conversation with his father-in-law, Jagdish Pahwa, regarding a Rs 2 crore payment for a house registered in his wife’s name.
Khurana’s family alleges that Pahwa later reneged on this promise, escalating the tension between the two families. The couple, married in 2016, had also been embroiled in disputes over their shared business assets.
In another video recorded just before his death, Khurana revealed how the demands imposed during ongoing divorce proceedings had spiralled beyond his financial capacity. He claimed his in-laws had pressured him for an additional Rs 10 lakh, which he could not pay.
“They are asking for another Rs 10 lakh, which I don’t have. My parents have already paid enough,” Khurana said in the video.
In a WhatsApp chat screenshot, which is in possession of the newspaper, Pahwa demanded alimony and wrote about certain terms to be added for divorce.
On December 30, Khurana had a heated phone exchange with Pahwa, reportedly about property disputes and their co-owned bakery business.
The call, now with the police, revealed intense arguments. By the following day, Khurana was found unresponsive in his bedroom. The police have recovered a mobile phone containing information crucial to the probe. The family has also submitted additional “evidence” to substantiate their claims.
However, days before Khurana’s death, Pahwa posted on social media, alleging that she had endured “toxicity and narcissistic abuse” and was now free.
The family also revealed that Pahwa made five demands during the divorce, including a Rs 70,000 monthly lawyer’s fee.
The incident comes weeks after Bengaluru-based techie Atul Subhash died by suicide, accusing his wife and her family of harassment. Subhash’s wife Nikita Singhania, along with her mother and brother, have been arrested.