'Maar raha hoon teri behen ko ...': Brother recalls chilling call before SWAT commando's murder

Kajal was posted with the Special Cell of Delhi Police.

• Kajal died days after her husband bludgeoned her with a dumbbell
• Her brother Nikhil heard Kajal's screams over the phone during the assault
• Ankur, a clerk in the Ministry of Defence, was arrested after Kajal's death

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The brother of Delhi Police Special Weapons and Tactics (SWAT) commando Kajal Chaudhary, who was killed after her husband allegedly bludgeoned her with a dumbbell, was reportedly forced to listen as his sister kept screaming for help. A constable posted at Parliament Street Police Station, Nikhil said he was on the phone when his sister was being brutally assaulted.

The 27-year-old, who was four months pregnant, called her brother on the night of January 22 when the argument with her husband Ankur escalated. Minutes later, Nikhil received a call from his brother-in-law who asked him to record the call and that he is killing Kajal.

Recalling the night of horror, Nikhil described the moments when he helplessly heard his sister's cries. "He (Ankur) told me to put the call on recording, said it could be used as police evidence ... Then he told me he was killing her. And then, I heard her screams," Nikhil told news agency PTI.

When Ankur called him saying 'apni behen ko samjha le' ((make your sister understand), Nikhil asked him to calm down and immediately called his sister.

" ... She normally wouldn't tell us much about what was happening, but that day she was sharing her ordeal. While we were speaking, he got angry that she was telling me things and snatched the phone from her," Nikhil said.

" ... Then he told me is call ko recording pe rakh, police evidence me kaam aayega. Main maar raha hoon teri behen ko. Police mera kuch nahi kar payegi (Put this call on recording, it will be useful as police evidence. I am killing your sister. Police won't be able to do anything). Then I heard her screams. The call ended abruptly," the grieving brother said.

The accused Ankur, a clerk in the Ministry of Defence and posted in Delhi Cantt, was arrested hours after Kajal died on January 27.

According to Kajal's family, her head was severely smashed, and she had multiple injuries across her body. Nikhil said they tried to get her admitted to several hospitals but were allegedly told her chances of survival were minimal. She was finally admitted to a Ghaziabad hospital, where she died.

Dowry harassment

Kajal was allegedly subjected to dowry-related harassment by her mother-in-law and two sisters-in-law. Married since 2023, the couple reportedly often argued over financial issues and household responsibilities.

Nikhil alleged that Kajal was slapped by her husband around five months ago. "I went there and asked her to come with me. Ankur apologised and swore on his child that he wouldn't repeat it. I told my sister she could return home whenever she wanted and didn't have to stay there," he told PTI.

The victim's father, Rakesh, alleged persistent dowry demands. "We gave them a bullet bike, gold jewellery and cash at the wedding, but they said our son would have got a car (had he married someone else). Later, my daughter even arranged a car, but they didn't stop harassing her. We couldn't even speak freely to her," he told PTI.