VARANASI: In the ongoing investigation into the suicide of Atul Subhash, a Bengaluru-based techie who left behind a 24-page suicide note, a four-member team of Bengaluru police raided the home of his estranged in-laws in Jaunpur on Friday. The police had been unable to trace the whereabouts of the Singhania family, who are accused of abetting Atul’s suicide, and thus pasted a notice at their residence directing them to appear before the investigating officer.
The police team, led by a sub-inspector, arrived in Jaunpur late Thursday evening. After coordinating with local police, they raided the Singhania family’s home, but found it locked, and the phones of family members were switched off, even on Friday. The following morning, the Bengaluru police returned and affixed the notice at the Singhanias’ residence.
As part of their investigation, the police also visited the family court where Atul’s wife, Nikita, had filed a maintenance case. According to Atul’s lawyer, Dinesh Mishra, Atul, who earned a salary of Rs 84,000 per month, had been ordered by the court to pay Rs 40,000 as monthly maintenance for their son. Bengaluru police collected documentary evidence from the court records related to the case. Meanwhile, local police in Jaunpur continued efforts to locate the Singhania family.
Atul Subhash, 34, married Nikita on April 26, 2015, after meeting her on a matrimonial site. He tragically took his life in his Bengaluru apartment early on Monday. Along with his suicide note, he left an 81-minute video in which he detailed the alleged harassment he endured from his wife and in-laws. He also accused the family court judge of bias. In a complaint filed by Atul’s brother, Bikas, it was alleged that Nikita and her family demanded Rs 3 crore from Atul in exchange for dropping the police cases against him. Atul was involved in ongoing legal battles regarding divorce and child custody.
Based on Bikas’s complaint, Bengaluru police registered a case against Nikita, her mother Nisha, her brother Anurag, and her uncle Sushil Singhania. In response to the unfolding investigation, Nisha and Anurag fled their home on Wednesday night, fearing police action.
