Boyfriend arrested for MBA student’s suicide

Four days after a 24-year-old MBA student jumped to her death from the sixth-floor Santacruz apartment of a relative, Vakola police on Thursday arrested her alleged boyfriend for harassing her and abetting her suicide.

The accused, Umashankar Khushwah, had allegedly tied the knot with Sonal Bagade clandestinely and had been harassing her to quit studies and move to his village in Uttar Pradesh as his wife. Her mother along with Sonal, had moved to the relative's apartment after coming to know of the secret wedding, police said.

According to the Vakola police, Khushwah met Sonal, a second-year MBA student, on internet around two months ago, following which they started speaking over the phone. Khushwah often visited Sonal's residence at D'Mello compound in Santa Cruz East. Her mother being a nurse stayed out for work during the day, and her father lived separately after their divorce.

Around a fortnight before the suicide, the duo got married at the girl's residence. "Since then, he had been harassing Sonal to give up studies and live with him in his village in Uttar Pradesh as his wife, which she did not want to," said R Pardesi, senior inspector, Vakola police.

The police claimed that Khushwah has admitted to having harassed the girl, and that it had led her to take the extreme step. Khushwah, the police said, is a native of Uttar Pradesh and lives in Gamdevi in south Mumbai. He was working with an Andheri-based private firm.

"Sonal's mother had eyed Khushwah suspicion. When we scanned Sonal's cell phone, we saw their 'wedding' clip. Khushwah has been arrested for abetting suicide, and remanded in police custody till December 10," said Pardesi.

A few days ago, after learning about the girl's marriage, Sonal and her mother had moved to a relative's sixth-floor rented apartment at Samarth Society in Santacruz (East). On December 2, while her mother was away at work and her relative was in the bathroom, Sonal jumped from the balcony. Sonal left a suicide note apologizing to her mother and relatives for not being able to live up to their expectations, said the police.

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