Kin of woman who ended life move HC, allege shoddy police probe

Mumbai: The family of a woman, who allegedly killed her two children before committing suicide in Maharashtra's Thane city, has approached the Bombay High Court, alleging laxity in the police probe and demanding that the case be transferred to the Crime Branch.

Seeta Vavia, 28, allegedly strangulated to death her two sons - Laksh (5) and Rudra (4) - before committing suicide at her residence in Thane on September 2.

In a suicide note recovered by the police, the woman said she took the extreme step due to harassment by her husband and in-laws.

The police later lodged a case against the woman's husband and father-in-law under Section 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.

The woman's brother, Kishan Anavadiya, earlier this month petitioned the high court, alleging that the police were not probing the case properly and, in fact, helping the accused persons.

"The probe carried out by the Kasarwadavali police (in Thane) is unfair and one-sided. Hence, the petitioner (Anavadiya) is constrained to file this petition seeking the probe to be transferred to either the Crime Branch or an independent agency like the CBI or the CID," the plea claimed.

The petition is likely to come up for hearing before a division bench of the high court next week.