NEW DELHI: Pawan Kumar Modi, father of deceased Bengaluru techie, on Sunday raised concerns over the whereabouts of his grandson hours after the arrest of Nikita Singhania, her mother Nisha and brother Anurag for allegedly abetting Atul Subhash‘s suicide.
Speaking to reporters, Pawan Kumar said, “We don’t know where she has kept our grandson. Has he been killed or is he alive? We don’t know anything about him. I want my grandson to be with us.”
The father of the deceased further “thanked the police for arresting” the accused Nikita Singhania, Nisha Singhania and Anurag Singhania, whilst also claiming that “the judge (of the accused) was also corrupt.”
“The judge (of the accused) was corrupt. I still haven’t got justice as a case has been filed against me. A new case has been filed against me in the name of my grandson. We appeal to PM Modi, UP CM Yogi Adityanath, Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav and other leaders to ensure that my grandson comes to me…For a grandfather, his grandson means more than his son,” he told ANI.
The 34-year-old engineer, died by suicide in Bengaluru on Monday, allegedly due to harassment by his estranged wife and her family members. A case of abetment to suicide has been filed against Nikita Singhania and her relatives.
Atul Subhash’s brother Bikas Kumar Modi also expressed concern about his nephew’s whereabouts. He said, “Our biggest concern right now is that we don’t know where my nephew (Atul Subhash’s son) is. We couldn’t find him in the photograph circulated by the police.”
“We want to know where he is. I thank the Karnataka Police for arresting these three… Two other arrests are pending. I hope they will also be arrested soon,” the deceased techie’s brother added.
Bengaluru Police took Nikita Singhania, the estranged wife of the deceased techie Subhash Atul, into custody along with her mother and brother regarding the abetment to suicide case. The court ordered 14 days of judicial custody for all three accused.
Also read: Subhash Atul’s estranged wife Nikita Singhania, her brother and mother arrested
The techie working for a private firm in Bengaluru was found dead at his residence with a placard reading “Justice is due,” police had said.
He had allegedly left behind a 24-page note detailing years of emotional distress stemming from marital issues, multiple legal cases, and alleged harassment by his wife, her relatives, and a judge from Uttar Pradesh.
Before taking to the extreme step, he recorded an over 80-minute video on Rumble, explaining the circumstances behind his decision.
In the viral video, Subhash can be heard saying, “I feel that I should kill myself because the money I earn is making my enemies stronger. That same money will be used to destroy me, and this cycle will keep going.”
Also read: Bengaluru techie suicide: All you need to know
An FIR has been registered against four people in connection with the suicide of 34-year-old, who accused his wife, her relatives and a judge of harassment, extortion and corruption before his death.
Based on a complaint by Atul’s brother Bikas Kumar at the Marathahalli police station in Bengaluru, the FIR includes charges under section 108 and section 3(5) of the BNS. The accused are Nikita Singhania (wife), Nisha Singhania (mother-in-law), Anurag Singhania (brother-in-law) and Sushil Singhania (wife’s uncle).
The death note reportedly mentions that Subhash got married in 2019 and that the couple had a son the following year. Pawan Kumar had earlier alleged that the judge overseeing the case had demanded Rs 5 lakh to “settle the case.”
“When they went ahead for mediation, it began from Rs 20,000 and then escalated to Rs 40,000; then the judge said that if he (the deceased) wants a settlement, he should give Rs 5 lakh,” Kumar said.
Earlier, on December 11, the Supreme Court also expressed concern over the growing misuse of Section 498A of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), which penalises cruelty by husbands and their relatives against married women. While quashing a Section 498A IPC case against a husband and his parents in a separate matter, a bench of Justices BV Nagarathna and N Kotiswar Singh observed that the provision had become a tool for unleashing personal vendetta against the husband and his family by a wife.