Woman dies mysteriously, in-laws cremate her without autopsy

The Malad police are now investigating the exact cause of 28-year-old Sarita Dubey's death, who, reportedly, died on June 9 of a heart attack. The probe has commenced after Sarita's parents denounced the cause of death mentioned in the death certificate issued by doctors at Sanjivani Hospital. They believe that she was murdered and have accused her husband and in-laws of poisoning her. Interestingly, the Dubeys cremated Sarita's body in an hours' time, without waiting for anybody from her parents' side to attend the funeral.

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In his statement, Sarita's brother Mukesh Mishra informed the police that a day prior to Sarita's death, her husband Brijesh (30), an auto driver, had called their father Tilakraj in Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. "Your daughter has misplaced my Rs 25,000. If she doesn't get the money back, I will poison her," revealed Mukesh. He has also accused Brijesh of demanding Rs 10 lakh for purchasing a flat and Sarita's in-laws of torturing her.

The next day, Brijesh called Tilakraj at 6.30 pm and informed him that Sarita had consumed poison and they were taking her to the Sanjivani Hospital in Kandivli. Around 9 pm Brijesh informed Tilakraj that Sarita was declared dead on arrival at the hospital. Stunned by the news, he accused Brijesh of foul play. He told him that his brother Firtamani, a resident of Nalasopara, would be coming to claim the body.

No autopsy done
But when Firtamani reached Brijesh's residence he found that the entire family was missing. It was the neighbours who informed him that the Dubeys had left for the crematorium with Sarita's body. Firtamani said that by the time he reached the crematorium, the last rites were performed on Sarita's body. "No autopsy was done," Firtamani said.

Brijesh said, "I requested the doctors to perform an autopsy. But they said that she had died a natural death and there was no need for it. There was no need for her family to go to the police. In such a tragic situation, we need their support." PI Vasant Patil of Malad police station said, "We have a death certificate which states that Sarita died of a heart attack. But her brother has alleged that she was poisoned. We will investigate his allegations." Interestingly, the police registered the case only after receiving instructions from ACP (North Region) R E Pawar. u00a0