Atul Subhash case: Bengaluru police arrest wife Nikita, her mother and brother

The Bengaluru police have arrested three people, including the estranged wife of senior tech executive Atul Subhash, who died by suicide recently.

Nikita Singhania was arrested in Gurugram, Haryana, while her mother Nisha Singhania and brother Anurag Singhania were picked up from Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj (Allahabad), police said on Sunday.

They were arrested on Saturday morning, brought to Bengaluru and sent to 14-day judicial custody after being produced before a local court, they said.

Subhash (34) was found hanging in his residence in Munnekolalu, southeast Bengaluru, on 9 December. He left behind lengthy videos and notes blaming his wife and in-laws for driving him to suicide through "false" cases and "persistent torture" and extortion.

Marathahalli police has registered a case of abetment to suicide and arrested Nikita and two others.

On Saturday, it was reported that as part of its probe into Subhash's suicide, Bengaluru City Police had on Friday issued a summons to Nikita and asked her to appear before it within three days.

A four-member Bengaluru City Police team led by sub-inspector Sanjeet Kumar arrived at Nikita's residence in the Khowa Mandi area of Uttar Pradesh's Jaunpur district at around 11.00 am and pasted the notice for her summons.

According to circle officer (city) Ayush Srivastava, the Bengaluru City Police notice said, "Nikita Singhania to appear before the investigating officer at Marathahalli police station, Bengaluru, within three days for interrogation regarding the circumstances surrounding the death of her husband, Atul Subhash."

The notice, addressed solely to Singhania, did not mention other accused family members, including her mother Nisha Singhania, uncle Sushil Singhania and brother Anurag Singhania, despite their names being mentioned in the FIR. At the time the notice was pasted, the main door of the house was locked and no family members were present.

Subhash's untimely death refocused the spotlight on the thorny issue of men seemingly harrassed and abused by their wives and in-laws for money, apparently under the threat of false cases being filed against them.

Subhash’s brother had filed a complaint alleging that the Singhanias demanded Rs 3 crore to withdraw legal cases against him and Rs 30 lakh for visitation rights to his son.

In his suicide note, Subhash reportedly expressed feelings of despair and helplessness, emphasising that he felt trapped by the ongoing legal battles and financial pressures, and was anguished that his parents and brother had been made to suffer by his wife and her family too. An 81-minute video accompanying the note drew significant public attention, with many portions going viral on social media.

Subhash, a deputy general manager at a tech firm in Bengaluru at the time of his death, was embroiled in ongoing legal disputes stemming from his separation from Nikita in 2021 following their wedding in 2019. According to media reports, Subhash alleged that he was subjected to severe harassment and financial demands from his in-laws, which caused him significant mental distress.

With agency inputs