A 24-year-old SWAT commando of the Delhi Police’s special cell died on Tuesday, five days after she was brutally assaulted inside her home in southwest Delhi’s Mohan Garden.
A 24-year-old SWAT commando of the Delhi Police’s special cell died on Tuesday, five days after she was brutally assaulted inside her home in southwest Delhi’s Mohan Garden. The young officer, Kajal Chaudhary, had allegedly been attacked by her husband with a heavy dumbbell following a heated domestic dispute.
Kajal’s husband, Ankur, a clerk with the Ministry of Defence, was arrested soon after the incident and now faces murder charges. The couple, who had a love marriage in 2023, were parents to a one-and-a-half-year-old son. Kajal had joined the elite commando unit in 2022.
Dowry harassment?
Kajal’s family has accused her in-laws of dowry harassment. Police said the violence was triggered by arguments over financial matters. The couple had taken loans and frequently clashed over household expenses.
The brutality of the assault came to light through Kajal’s brother, Nikhil, a constable posted at Parliament Street police station. He told TOI, “Kajal called me up when the argument escalated,” adding that while he was still on the phone with his sister, Ankur began hitting her on the head with the dumbbell. “Five minutes later, Ankur called me up and bluntly informed me of the assault,” Nikhil said.
Ankur initially took Kajal to a local hospital, but as her condition worsened, her family shifted her to a Ghaziabad hospital two days later. Despite intensive medical treatment, she could not survive. Her post-mortem examination was conducted on Tuesday.
A senior police officer said, “The couple might have taken some loans and often had disputes related to this and other household expenses. On Jan 22, Ankur banged Kajal’s head against the frame of a door before attacking her with the dumbbell.”
Following a complaint filed by Nikhil, Delhi Police arrested Ankur within hours of the assault. Initially booked for attempted murder at Mohan Garden police station, the charges will now be upgraded to murder, police confirmed.