Twenty-eight-year-old Akriti Sutar believed that returning to work after her wedding would eventually end the alleged taunts she faced at her matrimonial home over dowry. She hoped that by continuing to earn, saving money and gradually buying the household items she was allegedly criticised for not bringing, things would improve.
That hope was cut short just four days after she resumed work.
Akriti's husband, Arastu Sikka, was arrested on Monday in connection with her alleged dowry death after she was found dead on July 5 following an alleged fall from the third floor of an NDMC residential complex in Delhi's Lodhi Colony.
Speaking to news agency PTI, Akriti's younger brother, Amay Sutar, said she deliberately kept much of the alleged abuse from her family because she did not want to burden them while they were still recovering financially after the death of their father from cancer in 2019.
According to him, Akriti believed that if she continued working and slowly purchased the household items over which she was allegedly taunted after marriage, the harassment would eventually stop.
"She told me, 'You have just become financially stable. Don't burden yourself. I will keep working and slowly manage everything myself. Maybe then they will stop saying these things,'" Amay told PTI.
Akriti and Sikka had been in a relationship for two years before marrying on April 24. After taking a break for the wedding, she resumed her job as a sales executive at a private company in Chhatarpur on July 1.
Amay said his sister had taken on the responsibility of supporting the family after their father's death, driven by a single goal of helping him become financially independent.
"After my father passed away, she did a lot for me. Her only dream was to see me settled," he said.
He alleged that although Sikka's family had agreed before the wedding that Akriti would continue working after marriage, they later changed their stand and objected to her employment. He further alleged that she was repeatedly taunted for not bringing household items such as a bed, sofa, wardrobe, refrigerator and air-conditioner from her parental home, and that indirect demands of Rs 10 lakh to Rs 20 lakh were made.
Rather than asking her family to meet those demands, Akriti believed she could resolve the situation herself by continuing to work, her brother claimed.
The family initially believed the couple was experiencing ordinary marital disagreements. Amay said that when Akriti complained that she had been slapped on one occasion, elders from both families intervened in an attempt to reconcile the couple.
It was only on July 3, a day before her death, that she allegedly revealed the full extent of the physical abuse, threats and harassment she had endured over the previous weeks, he said.
Looking back, Amay said there had been signs that the family had failed to fully understand.
"She became quieter after marriage. We thought she was just exhausted and settling into the new environment. Whenever we asked, she would simply say everything is alright," he told PTI.
He said some of Akriti's childhood friends had also noticed a change in her demeanour, though she rarely spoke openly about her problems.
Investigators are examining a Google search for "how to die easily" recovered from Akriti's phone history as part of the probe.
Amay, however, alleged that Sikka exercised complete control over his sister's phone, frequently checking it and accusing her of infidelity over minor changes, including her password.
"He used to check everything. Even if her password changed accidentally, he would accuse her of having an affair, abuse her and beat her," he alleged.
Amay also claimed he had long been uneasy about Sikka's behaviour, saying he would often take offence over trivial matters. He further alleged that Sikka objected to Akriti speaking with her mother and brother over the phone and, after learning she had informed her family about the alleged abuse, threatened to have Amay assaulted and dismissed from his job.
According to the family, Akriti left her office on July 4 but never reached home. When repeated calls to her phone went unanswered, relatives began searching for her. Later that night, a police officer answered a call made to her phone and informed the family that she had been admitted to hospital after allegedly falling from the third floor of the residential complex.
Delhi Police have arrested Sikka under provisions relating to dowry death and cruelty by husband or relatives. Investigators are examining CCTV footage, call records, mobile phone data and other digital evidence to establish the circumstances leading to Akriti's death, while the role of other family members remains under investigation.
(With inputs from PTI)
