This case pertains to the death of an engineer woman from Kanpur within 15-days after her marriage in December 2020. The case was widely reported as murder by in-laws. However, post mortem report and forensic experts are now suggesting accidental death.
Husband has been arrested and in jail since December 25, 2020.
Arzoo Gupta Case (Kanpur)
Arzoo Gupta, daughter of Neeraj Gupta alias Neeraj Katare, a brick merchant who hails from Shahdol in Madhya Pradesh, was found dead in her matrimonial home within 15-days of her marriage to Amandeep Gupta. The couple got married on December 8, 2020 and the newly married bride died on December 25, 2020.
The husband is an engineer at Bangalore and his father RC Gupta is a loco pilot in the railway. Katare told police that Amandeep had called him on December 25 to tell him that his daughter had suddenly fallen in the bathroom. Woman’s father, along with his two sons Aman & Anant and other relatives rushed to see Arzoo.
As reported by One India, post-mortem report initially suggested that Arzoo had died due to suffocation. The in-laws were suspected of killing the daughter-in-law and husband was arrested on the same day, after registering a case of murder against him.
Current Status of the Case
As per the latest media report by Jagran, post-mortem report revealed that Arzoo died in an accident and was not murdered by her in-laws.
The report indicated six injuries on the deceased’s body, with a cut mark on the left side and lower lip inside the mouth. Her lips were cut and swollen, while blue spots were found near the shoulder above the right hand and forehead. Arzoo died due to a blockage of her respiratory tract. Air bubbles were also found in her lungs.
The bathroom was a closed chamber where, LPG gas cylinder had been installed in the geyser last September, which the family started using after marriage in December 2020.
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Investigating officers found one kg gas in the cylinder, and were of the opinion, that it was impossible for someone to empty the same while only 4-5 members of the home used it for 17-days. Investigation further revealed that the gas was also leaking when the tap for normal water was opened.
The presence of blood in the bathroom was found in the benzamide test, but it is believed that Arzoo was undergoing her menstrual cycle and hence this blood was found.
Experts
Forensic experts have written in their report that there are three types of smothering:
- Homicidal smothering, meaning forcibly pressing someone’s face, ie. Murder. In such cases, marks of resistance are visible on the bodies of the deceased and the killer. Blood accumulates in the respiratory tract and lungs. However, nothing of this kind was found in Arzoo’s case
- Suicidal smothering means when somebody presses their own mouth to stop themselves from breathing
- While the third circumstances suggest, accidental or suffocation smothering meaning accident
According to the forensic report, this particular case seems to be a result of the third possibility mentioned above. For some reason, Arzoo fainted and fell on her face. The injuries she got on the mouth also indicate the same. When she fell unconscious, the gas gathered on the surface that took her life.
The forensic team, however, have not able to find answers to these two questions yet:
- If there was a gas leak in the bathroom, why did Arzoo not feel its smell
- If she had fallen, then there must have been some sound, so how can Amandeep sleeping in the room not hear it
The investigation has been transferred from CO Govindnagar Vivek Pandey to CO Najeerbad Santosh Singh. Pandey said that he has handed over all the documents to Singh.
Note from Amandeep’s sister (shared by a family friend):
My brother and Arzoo bhabhi got married on 8th December. They were extremely happy and there wasn’t any dowry demand. It’s an unfortunate accident which happened. It could have happened to my brother, but if bhabhi died that doesn’t mean we killed her. My father was not at home, postmortem was our decision, we informed the nearest police station and maid didn’t tell that bhabhi is lying in washroom, my brother did so. Now his in-laws are framing him for false murder and dowry cases.
The death was due to suffocation caused by geyser gas leakage. In the PM report, the reason for death is mentioned as smothering but they have not mentioned in this case which type of smothering it was. So, people thought that it was murder.The latest update is that, forensics team has submitted their report and they are considering it as an accidental death. Even the PM report is being questioned now.My brother is in jail since 25th December and we are extremely worried about him. Please help us save our brother. We have already lost one family member and don’t want to loose another. #JusticeForAmandeep
– Aarjoo Gupta (Amandeep’s Sister)
ALSO READ –
http://voiceformenindia.com/in-the-law/dowry-death-acquittal-for-husbands-family/
http://voiceformenindia.com/in-the-law/husband-acquitted-in-dowry-death-case/
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