NEW DELHI: A 24-year-old SWAT commando of Delhi Police‘s special cell succumbed to her injuries at a hospital in Ghaziabad on Tuesday, five days after being brutally assaulted, allegedly by her husband, with a heavy dumbbell in their house in southwest Delhi’s Mohan Garden. Kajal Chaudhary’s husband, Ankur, a clerk in the ministry of defence, was arrested shortly after the incident and now faces charges of murder.
Her family alleged that she had been subjected to dowry harassment by in-laws despite the couple having a love marriage in 2023. However, police said the assault stemmed from frequent arguments between the two over financial matters.Kajal, who joined the commando unit in 2022, is survived by a one-and-a-half-year-old son.The deceased’s brother, Nikhil, a constable posted at Parliament Street police station, told TOI that the couple, both natives of Ganaur in Haryana, had a quarrel on Jan 22. “Kajal called me up when the argument escalated,” Nikhil said, 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 later took Kajal to a local hospital. Two days later, her family shifted her to the Ghaziabad hospital, given the seriousness of her injuries. Despite the best efforts of the medical team, Kajal passed away. Her post-mortem examination was conducted on Tuesday. “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,” a Delhi Police officer said. Hours after the assault, Delhi Police had arrested Ankur based on a complaint filed by Nikhil. At that time, a case was registered at Mohan Garden police station against him under charges of attempted murder, which will now be converted into murder charges, the officer added.Even as cops move forward with their investigation, the community in Ganaur is mourning for a young commando whose life and career have been brutally cut short.
