Death of indian-origin American, Police yet to find evidence to mark Bhoomika case a suicide
Investigations into the 'suspicious' death of Bhoomika Kochhar Jatia, an Indian-origin American citizen, has not made any headway, with the police failing to find solid evidence to say whether the death was a suicide , as claimed by her in-laws in Kathmandu.
According to DSP Jivan Shrestha, in-charge of the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Circle, Maharajgunj, although the post-mortem report shows that Bhoomika died by hanging, police are yet to ascertain if it was indeed a suicide . "We are yet to ascertain the reasons behind the death," DSP Shrestha said. Bhoomika, 25, was married to a Nepali national Akaash Jatia, Executive Director of Shanker Group of Industries and Trading House, in 2011. After the marriage, Bhoomika, a resident of Muttontown in New York, shifted to Nepal to live with her in-laws.
On June 15, her body was recovered from the bathroom of Samridhi Kunj, the house of the Jatias in Chundevi, Maharajgunj. The body was taken to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, where she was declared dead. While Bhoomika's parents in New York have alleged either murder or a 'forced suicide ,' her father-in-law Anil Jatia refused to comment on the matter, despite the Post's attempts to make him speak.
"We were told that she was found hanging in the bathroom," a police official involved in the probe said, requesting anonymity.
"But the bathroom's height is very low. Committing suicide in there can be a difficult job. Even if she hanged herself by the window pane, her feet would have touched the ground," the official said.
According to the official, police were not able to see the exact position of Bhoomika's body in the bathroom as they were informed only after she was declared dead in the hospital.
Police said a number of work-related text messages and emails were exchanged between Bhoomika and her colleagues at office. The last message sent from her cell phone was at 1:15 in the noon.
Police were informed of her death at around 2:20 pm.
"The two years of her married life in Nepal was a troubled one," Chander Kochhar, Bhoomika's father told the Post over telephone. "They had been torturing my daughter and she spoke of it frequently. I never thought this was going to lead to her murder."
Bhoomika's relative Amita Kochhar said the main problem was dowry. According to her, the "murder" happened as Bhoomika's parents had stopped doling out the 'monthly dowry demands' of the Jatia family.
She claimed that the Kochhars have already spent over $2 million in dowry till date.
"Despite the physical and mental torture, she was willing to end her relationship and come back to the US," said Chander. "She had spoken to many people close to her about that plan and was upbeat about the prospects of her making a fresh start."
According to family sources, Akaash and Bhoomika met first in Boston University in 2006, where they both studied for four years under the college's undergrad programme.
While Bhoomika was a student of public health, Akaash studied Manufacturing Engineering and Business Administration. Following a love affair in college, they tied the knot in 2011.
According to DSP Jivan Shrestha, in-charge of the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police Circle, Maharajgunj, although the post-mortem report shows that Bhoomika died by hanging, police are yet to ascertain if it was indeed a suicide . "We are yet to ascertain the reasons behind the death," DSP Shrestha said. Bhoomika, 25, was married to a Nepali national Akaash Jatia, Executive Director of Shanker Group of Industries and Trading House, in 2011. After the marriage, Bhoomika, a resident of Muttontown in New York, shifted to Nepal to live with her in-laws.On June 15, her body was recovered from the bathroom of Samridhi Kunj, the house of the Jatias in Chundevi, Maharajgunj. The body was taken to the Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital, where she was declared dead. While Bhoomika's parents in New York have alleged either murder or a 'forced suicide ,' her father-in-law Anil Jatia refused to comment on the matter, despite the Post's attempts to make him speak.
"We were told that she was found hanging in the bathroom," a police official involved in the probe said, requesting anonymity.
"But the bathroom's height is very low. Committing suicide in there can be a difficult job. Even if she hanged herself by the window pane, her feet would have touched the ground," the official said.
According to the official, police were not able to see the exact position of Bhoomika's body in the bathroom as they were informed only after she was declared dead in the hospital.
Police said a number of work-related text messages and emails were exchanged between Bhoomika and her colleagues at office. The last message sent from her cell phone was at 1:15 in the noon.
Police were informed of her death at around 2:20 pm.
"The two years of her married life in Nepal was a troubled one," Chander Kochhar, Bhoomika's father told the Post over telephone. "They had been torturing my daughter and she spoke of it frequently. I never thought this was going to lead to her murder."
Bhoomika's relative Amita Kochhar said the main problem was dowry. According to her, the "murder" happened as Bhoomika's parents had stopped doling out the 'monthly dowry demands' of the Jatia family.
She claimed that the Kochhars have already spent over $2 million in dowry till date.
"Despite the physical and mental torture, she was willing to end her relationship and come back to the US," said Chander. "She had spoken to many people close to her about that plan and was upbeat about the prospects of her making a fresh start."
According to family sources, Akaash and Bhoomika met first in Boston University in 2006, where they both studied for four years under the college's undergrad programme.
While Bhoomika was a student of public health, Akaash studied Manufacturing Engineering and Business Administration. Following a love affair in college, they tied the knot in 2011.
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