Woman dies by suicide, family says friend refused to return her Rs 25 lakh and harassed her

Ghaziabad: A 23-year-old woman died after allegedly consuming a poisonous substance on Saturday in the Mehrauli area of Wave City. The woman's father has attributed the incident to alleged threats from a friend who had borrowed money.Pawan Verma said a money recovery case has been pending in court for a year. He claimed his daughter, Karishma Verma, had attempted suicide six months ago, too, driven by the same friend's harassment and reluctance to return the money, but police failed to take any action despite being informed.
Karishma was taken to a nearby hospital right after Pawan saw her lying unconscious in her room around 11pm. However, she was referred to a bigger hospital where she was declared dead at 1.25am.Pawan, who works at a private company, told TOI that her condition was critical, so they didn't wait for an ambulance and rushed her to a private hospital in Kavi Nagar on a motorcycle. However, she did not survive.He alleged that Karishma, who had recently graduated from a private college in the city, was being threatened by a friend, her sister-in-law and her boyfriend. The trio had allegedly borrowed over Rs 25 lakh under the pretext of investments and loans.Pawan said that he had been saving money for Karishma's wedding for the past 10 years. He had also sold a plot of land and deposited the entire amount in her account.He said that last year, when he asked his daughter to withdraw some money, she broke down and confessed that a childhood friend, her sister-in-law, and the friend's boyfriend had taken all her money between 2023 and 2024, claiming it was for investments and loans and would be returned soon."I went to her house and asked her to return the money. Instead of accepting her mistake, she dialled 112 and the cops came. When I narrated my ordeal it to them, they advised me to go to court as it was a financial dispute," Pawan said. He added that he approached the Ghaziabad civil court, where the matter is underway. He said that six months ago, when Karishma requested her friend to return the money, explaining it was needed for her marriage, the friend and her associates allegedly threatened her and told her she would be better off dead. Distraught, she attempted suicide but was rescued in time."I approached the commissioner of police and submitted a written complaint. The application was transferred to ACP Wave City for investigation, but nothing happened," Pawan said. He added that he never received an update from the cops. Priyashri Pal, ACP of Wave City, said no formal complaint was filed in the case as of yet. "We are checking the allegations made by the woman's family and investigating the case and are waiting for a written complaint."