A 24-year-old Delhi Police SWAT commando has died days after she was allegedly assaulted by her husband at their home in west Delhi. Her death has triggered a murder and dowry case, with her family accusing the husband and his relatives of prolonged abuse.
Kajal Chaudhary was attacked at her Mohan Garden residence on January 22. She died on January 27 after remaining critically injured for days. Police say the case escalated following her death and a formal complaint by her family.
The accused, Ankur, has been arrested and sent to judicial custody. He was working as a clerk with the Ministry of Defence and has since been suspended. The investigation is ongoing, police said.
The details were shared by the family and police, according to news agency ANI.
‘I heard her screaming’: Brother recalls last phone call
Kajal’s brother, Nikhil, said he was on a phone call with his sister when the argument at her home turned violent.
“I received a call and could hear my sister screaming. Five minutes later, my brother-in-law called and said, ‘mere hatho ye mar gayi hai, aa jao isse lene’ (I have killed her, come pick up her body),” he alleged.
Nikhil claimed that Kajal had been facing domestic violence since the early days of her marriage. He said the abuse was linked to dowry demands.
“His parents, brothers and sisters kept saying the dowry should have been more. Initially, things were fine, but later he also started behaving the same way,” he said.
Doctors later informed the family that Kajal had suffered severe head injuries and was brain-dead.
“The doctors told us treatment was not possible,” Nikhil said.
Pregnant officer, mother to a toddler; charges upgraded after death
Police said Kajal was allegedly struck multiple times, including with a dumbbell. She was taken to a private hospital by her husband after the assault.
An attempt to murder case was first registered at the Mohan Garden police station. After Kajal’s death and the family’s complaint, sections related to murder and dowry were added.
Kajal was four months pregnant at the time of the assault. She had given birth to a son in 2024. The one-and-a-half-year-old child is now staying with her family.
Recruited into the Delhi Police in 2022, Kajal was posted with the SWAT unit of the Special Cell. The accused has been sent to judicial custody at Tihar Jail.
Further investigation is underway, police said.