Mumbai: Police arrested Anant Garje, the personal assistant to Maharashtra minister Pankaja Munde, late night on Sunday. His wife Gauri Palve-Garje committed suicide due to alleged torture and domestic abuse. Garje was produced before a court, which remanded him to three days of police custody.
Garje was arrested on charges of abetting the suicide of his wife who allegedly hanged herself in their Worli home, Mumbai on Saturday last week. The couple had married in February. Palve’s family alleged Garje had been unfaithful, leading to domestic disputes. Though the police have registered an abetment of suicide case, the victim’s family has claimed that her death could be murder.
Garje reached the Worli Police Station late at night where he surrendered.
According to the police, Palve’s family has alleged that she was tortured and harassed by her husband, which drove her to commit suicide. They have demanded a thorough investigation into her death. In their police complaint, Palve’s family alleged that Garje had an extra-marital affair, and Palve caught him while chatting with another woman on a mobile phone. The couple would fight over the issue and Garje allegedly used to threaten his wife, the police said.
However, Garje has told police he was not at home when the incident occurred, and upon returning, he found the door locked from the inside. He claimed that he entered his 30th-floor flat through a window from the 31st floor and found his wife hanging.
Garje’s lawyer Mangesh Deshmukh claimed that Palve’s family was aware of his past relationships.
