Jharkhand Woman Found Hanging at Live-In Partner’s Home; Police Investigate Suicide or Murder

Koderma: A 26-year-old woman, Ayushi Chawla, was found hanging under suspicious circumstances at the residence of her live-in partner in Jhumri Telaiya town of Jharkhand on Monday, police said.

Ayushi, a resident of Parsabad under Jainagar police station in Koderma district, had been living with her partner Harsh Sonkar—a fruit vendor in Chitragupta Nagar—for the past two years.

According to police, Harsh claimed that he left for his shop around 6 a.m., and shortly after, received a call from Ayushi in which she allegedly said she was about to end her life. He rushed home and found her hanging from a ceiling fan. By the time he brought her down, she had already died, he told police.

Harsh then informed both the police and Ayushi’s family.

Police arrived at the scene and sent the body for a post-mortem examination. Investigators are now probing whether the death was a case of suicide or if foul play was involved.

However, Ayushi’s mother has accused Harsh of killing her daughter and making it appear like suicide. “He murdered her and is trying to cover it up,” she told police.

Ayushi had previously been married to a man from Jhumri Telaiya in 2018, but the couple divorced after five years. Since then, she had been living with Harsh and working as a coordinator at an old-age home on Addi Bangla Road. Her six-year-old son currently lives with her mother.

Family members said that Ayushi had recently shown interest in remarrying and had agreed when the subject was brought up. “We had even begun looking for a suitable match for her,” a relative said, expressing shock over her sudden and tragic death.

Police have registered a case and are questioning Harsh and other individuals close to Ayushi. “We are exploring all possibilities, including suicide, abetment to suicide, or murder. The autopsy and forensic reports will be critical in establishing the actual cause of death,” a senior police officer stated.

With inputs from IANS