Engagement break-up leads couple to end lives

Dejected by a break-up in their engagement, a boy and his fiancee allegedly consumed celphos pesticide, police said on Friday, adding the girl has died while the boy's condition is critical.

The girl was identified as Pooja (20), a Delhi resident and the boy, Subodh Kant, from Ghaziabad.

The police said it received a call from Hotel Subham at Railway Road that a couple who had checked in on Thursday had been found unconscious. An empty bottle of poisonous pesticide was found near them.

When the police rushed the couple to the government-run MMG Hospital, doctors declared the girl dead. The doctors confirmed that she had consumed celphos, police added.

The condition of the boy was stated to be very critical and his parents have taken him to a hospital in Delhi, said Superintendent of Police City, Shlok Kumar.

The girl's father Yudhbir Singh said Pooja and Subodh were engaged last month. Their wedding was being finalized, but in the meantime, the family of the boy decided to break the engagement, Singh said.

Subodh was apparently disappointed with his family's decision. On Wednesday he took Pooja out, but didn't return, police said.

Pooja's father has alleged that Subodh's family was demanding dowry due to which the couple was disappointed.

"A case has been registered in the Kotwali police station. We are waiting for the boy to recover so that his statement can be recorded," said the SP.

--IANS

sps/prs