Key Points
Akriti Sutar died after falling from her in-laws' third-floor home in Delhi just 72 days after her marriage.
Her family alleges she was subjected to dowry demands, physical abuse, and pressure to quit her job before her death.
Husband Arastu Sikka has been arrested, and police have registered a case under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita while continuing the investigation.
DOWRY DEATHS IN INDIA aren’t a surprising thing anymore. According to the latest National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) data, the nation recorded 5,737 dowry-related deaths in 2024. What is supposed to be a social evil that is legally prohibited has now become a painful recurrent experience. The case of 28-year-old Akriti Sutar, who fell to her death from her marital death in Delhi’s Lodhi Colony after facing dowry-related abuse and taunts, has shown how married women are still subjected to this horror.
On Saturday, June 4, 2026, Akriti died after falling from the third floor of her in-laws’ house located in New Delhi Municipal Corporation flats in Palika Kunj. She was rushed to AIIMS hospital, where she was declared dead. The man who had informed the police after seeing her body alleged that her legs were bent at an ‘unusual angle,’ and that he didn't see any blood.
Akriti’s parents and brother allege that she was suffering immense abuse from her in-laws over dowry, while her husband, Arastu Sikka, taunted and threatened Akriti over her job. Arastu Sikka was arrested by the police on Monday, June 6, 2026, and a case has been filed under sections 80 and 85 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at the Lodhi Garden police station.
A case has also been filed against Arastu’s sister Augustika, who allegedly introduced the couple to each other.
Akriti Sutar and Arastu Sikka married on April 24, 2026, just 72 days before Akriti’s death. The couple had dated for over eight years before tying the knot.
Akriti worked as a Sales Executive at a company located in Chhatarpur area, and had thrown a party celebrating her new marriage at her office hours before her death.
When going back to her home after work on Saturday evening, Akriti had talked to her mother via phone call and informed her the same. Some hours later, Akriti’s phone became unreachable, and after repeated efforts to contact her failed, her family began an investigation to search for her.
Some time later, the Lodhi Garden police station called Akriti’s family, and informed them that their daughter had died after falling from her in-laws’ house.
Initial police investigations indicated a possible suicide attempt based upon Akriti’s digital footprint, but her family allege that she was murdered by her husband and in-laws.
In a conversation with Aaj Tak, Akriti’s mother said that her daughter faced persistent physical abuse and dowry-related harassment after her marriage. Akriti and Arastu’s marriage was a love match, which was initially opposed by her family. They eventually agreed to the match as it was Arastu’s sister, who was also Akriti’s classmate, who had introduced the couple to each other.
“The boy's sister trapped my daughter. She was the one who introduced my daughter to her brother,” the mother alleged.
Less than a month into her marriage, Akriti’s in-laws demanded that she bring a car, gold, and Rs 20 lakh in cash from her parents’ home, and also wanted control over her salary.
Arastu repeatedly pressured Akriti to quit her job, saying that his father’s ‘hefty’ salary as a Section Officer was more than enough to sustain the family. In addition, Akriti suffered physical assaults from her husband, who beat her with a belt days before her death. Police sources say Arastu developed a ‘complex’ over his wife earning more than him, and that Akriti going out for a job made him feel ‘small.’
She was also accused of infidelity over minor issues such as her changing her phone’s password.
Akriti’s brother, Amay Sutar, spoke to NDTV and refuted the claim that his sister had committed suicide. Amay maintained that her sister was a mentally strong person, who took over the family's financial matters after their father passed away due to cancer back in 2019.
Akriti hid much of the abuse and the mistreatment she was enduring at her marital house, only revealing some information a day before her death. She hoped that becoming financially independent and earning enough money would solve matters and end the abuse.
“She became quieter after marriage. We thought she was just exhausted and settling in the new environment. Whenever we asked, she would simply say everything is alright,” Amay said.
Amay alleged that Arastu’s family had agreed before the wedding that Akriti would be allowed to continue working. However, soon after the marriage, they allegedly changed their stance and claimed that there had never been any discussion about letting her join a workplace. He further alleged that Arastu exercised complete control over Akriti’s phone, and objected to her having conversations with her friends and family.
Police are currently investigating Akriti’s death, and are looking into possible angles such as suicide attempt and dowry death. While Arastu and his sister Augustika have been named in the FIR, officials are also examining the possible involvement of other family members in Akriti’s death. CCTV footage, call detail records, and other digital evidence to establish the sequence of events are being examined as the investigation remains ongoing.
(Edited by Harsh Pandey)
Suggested reading:
Subscribe to our channels on YouTube and WhatsApp
Download our app on Play Store