Boyfriend of suicide victim arrested

The boyfriend of a 24-year-old MBA student, who killed herself by jumping off her sixth floor residence in Santa Cruz on December 2, was on Thursday arrested by the police for abetting her suicide. The police said that the accused Umashankar Khushwah, a Gamdevi resident, had secretly married Sonal Bagade and was forcing her to give up her studies and settle down with him at his hometown in Uttar Pradesh. Khushwah had met Bagade on the Internet around two months ago and the two soon fell in love with each other. According to the police, the accused would keep visiting Bagade at her residence on D’Mello Road in Santa Cruz, when her mother, a nurse, would be out at work. Around a fortnight before Bagade committed suicide, the duo “married” each other at the girl’s residence. The wedding, the police said, was not officially solemnised. It had been performed through some rudimentary rituals. “Khushwah had been pestering Bagade to give up her studies and live with him in his village in Uttar Pradesh as his wife. Bagade, however, wanted to finish her studies,” said R. Pardesi, senior inspector, Vakola police. The police said that Khushwah admitted to have harassed the girl that led to her taking the drastic step.