By IANS
New Delhi : Part-time designer Mona Suri, who suffered 80 percent burns after two men allegedly set her on fire two months ago, died at the Safdarjung Hospital, even as her family Sunday demanded a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe into her death.
“Mona was declared dead late Saturday after her heart stopped functioning,” said Sanjeev Bawa, brother of Mona alias Tarveen.
Throughout Saturday, Mona’s family had denied media reports that she had died and said she was alive but that her condition was serious due to multiple organs failure. She was placed on a ventilator.
On Aug 11, two unidentified men went to Mona’s house around 8.00 p.m. and rang the doorbell. She went to the balcony but did not open the door. The duo came back after about 45 minutes with a bottle of an inflammable liquid and again pressed the doorbell.
This time, she opened the door and the men poured the liquid on her and set her ablaze. They fled on a motorbike.
Mona ran inside the house screaming for help and her mother-in-law Kusum Suri tried to put out the fire but burnt her hands in the process. Mona lived with her husband Naveen, the in-laws and two daughters – one eight years old and the other aged seven months.
She was first rushed to the Holy Family Hospital and later shifted to the Safdarjung Hospital.
Mona had alleged that her husband was having an affair with a colleague, Rachna, and that she had been receiving threat calls from her. “Rachna was asking me to stay away from Naveen,” Mona had said in a police statement.
Mona also complained that Rachna, while driving a car, had tried to mow her down near her house but she escaped with minor injuries on her feet. She alleged that she was being followed by some people.
Naveen, who works for a travel agency in Gurgaon, was away in Goa while Rachna was also not in town when she was attacked.
Later Naveen visited her wife in the hospital and pleaded with her not to frame him in the case.
Following the attack, police had released the sketch of one of the assailants on the basis of an eyewitness account.
Police had also questioned Naveen and Rachna but failed to get any clues.
Meanwhile, Mona’s family has alleged inaction by Delhi Police and sought a CBI probe.
“Initially, they were probing the case properly, but after some time they apparently lost enthusiasm and stopped investigation. Police have failed to get any clue for the last one month, so we demand a CBI probe into the matter and action against the culprits,” Bawa said.
“Right from the beginning, police have been trying to portray it as a case of attempt to suicide, which is completely baseless,” he added.
A senior Delhi Police official on condition of anonymity told IANS that there was no sufficient proof against Naveen and Rachna.
“It is right that we have not got a breakthrough in the case, but investigations are still underway and we hope that the matter would be solved,” the official said, adding they were not denying the possibility of self-immolation by the designer.