'Wish, we had brought her back home earlier': Brother of deceased woman in west Delhi

New Delhi: Minutes before her death after allegedly falling from the fourth floor of a building in west Delhi, a 25-year-old woman made a series of frantic calls to her family, crying for help and asking them to take care of her six-month-old son even as her brother laments not bringing her home earlier.

About an hour later, around 10.02 am, another call came, this time from her brother-in-law.

"Around 9.55 pm, she called her sister and asked her to take her from there or else 'they' will kill her. She said 'they' were beating and abusing her. She kept saying, 'If something happens to me, take care of my child'," her brother told PTI.

"He only said my sister had fallen from the terrace," the family alleged, recalling how they hit her so hard that her eardrums burst.

Hours later, relatives reached a west Delhi hospital only to find that she had already been declared dead after allegedly falling from a building in Dasghara village in Inderpuri on May 18.

Now, with police arresting her husband and brother-in-law in a dowry death case, her family says her final calls continue to haunt them.

"Kash hum usse pehle hee ghar wapas le aate (Wish, we had brought her back home earlier)," her brother said quietly.

The woman, who married Raju Singh in December 2022, leaves behind a six-month-old son, too young to understand the tragedy unfolding around him.

The police said two accused -- husband Raju Singh (27), a private helper at a real estate group in Karol Bagh, and his younger brother Rajkumar (22), employed with a travel group -- have been arrested. Another brother-in-law has also been named in the FIR.

The police registered a case after recording statements of family members and examining post-mortem findings. Since the marriage had taken place less than seven years ago, proceedings under provisions related to dowry death were initiated and the matter was referred to the sub-divisional magistrate (SDM).

But for the woman's family, the story began long before May 18.

Her brother alleged that within months of the marriage, she was brought to Delhi and started facing pressure over dowry demands.

"We had married her with dreams of a happy life. We had already given what we could -- a motorcycle, a gold ring, a television and other household items. At that time, they accepted everything and did not say anything," he alleged.

The demands, according to the family, gradually increased.

"They wanted expensive things -- a better bike, AC, fridge and more. We are farmers.

"My father had taken loans for the marriage. We kept telling them we would do whatever was possible for us," he said.

The deceased belonged to a farming family from Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh and was one among five siblings.

Her family described her as "simple" and "soft-spoken".

"She was a 12th pass and worked in a private company before marriage. She wanted to continue working. She would tell us, 'I can earn and take care of myself. I don't want to burden anyone'," her sister said.

According to relatives, disputes had become more frequent in recent weeks.

The family alleged that after the wedding of one of her brothers-in-law on April 25, comparisons over dowry intensified.

"They started comparing both marriages and saying that a lot had come in his wedding," the brother alleged.

The family claimed they had intervened several times over the past three years. In one instance in February 2024, they even called a village panchayat after allegations of physical assault surfaced.

Her brother also alleged that she was once beaten so severely that her eardrum ruptured and the family had to bring her home for treatment.

"Whenever we threatened to complain, they would behave properly for some time and then things would become the same again," he said.

Her sister recalled what she described as their final conversation.

"Please come quickly, they are beating me. Let me hear my father's voice once... I may never meet you again. Take care of my son and don't hand him over to these people," she said her sister told her.

The family alleges that she was assaulted and pushed from the fourth floor, though the police have not confirmed the claims and an investigation is underway.

As funeral rituals and legal proceedings continue, the family's attention has shifted to the infant son she left behind, whom she repeatedly mentioned in what they say were her final words.

Further investigation is underway.