Pregnant defence ministry officer found dead in Delhi; husband, in-laws booked

On Friday, a 30-year-old pregnant woman named Nazia Khanam, who worked at the Ministry of Defence, was discovered dead at her home in southwest Delhi's Dwarka. The police have registered a cruelty and abetment of suicide case against Khanam's husband and in-laws, following allegations of harassment over dowry. Khanam's husband, Mohammad Azam Ali Khan, is currently on the run.

Khanam, an Assistant Section Officer (ASO) in the Ministry of Defence, had married her husband, Mohammad Azam Ali Khan, on April 11 of this year. He is a supply chain manager in Gurgaon. The woman was 3 months pregnant at the time of her death.

According to police, a police call was received regarding a suicide at Sector 23 police station around 4:21 pm. A police team arrived at the scene and took the body into custody. The body was then sent to DDU Hospital for further procedures.

On the day of the incident, Khanam and her husband went to a hospital for a checkup. After returning home, they got into an argument. Police claim that after the argument, Khanam locked her husband in one room and herself in another room before taking her own life. The police officer hinted that an argument may have preceded Khanam's tragic act.

Khanam's family members appeared before the Executive Magistrate on the same day and submitted written statements. However, no suspicion or allegations were raised against Khanam's husband or any other members of her family. The next day, Khanam's parents appeared again before the SDM, submitting a fresh complaint against her husband and other family members. They alleged that her husband had been physically assaulting her and mentally harassing her, which led to her taking her own life.

Based on the subsequent complaint and the allegations made, police registered a case at Sector 23 police station under sections 85 (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and 108 (Abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code (BNS). The family has also demanded that section 80 (dowry death) also be added to the FIR.

The police are investigating the exact circumstances leading to Khanam's death and the allegations made by her parents. Further legal action will follow after the facts are established.