Suicide or harassment? Woman jumps to death in mall

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A young woman committed suicide by jumping from the third floor of a shopping mall here, police said on Thursday, citing marital discord and ruling out her cousin's claim that she was trying to escape harassment from some youths in the complex.

Urmila Yadav, 26, a resident of Alambagh locality, leapt on Wednesday night from the third floor of Phoenix Mall.

She was accompanied by her cousin Nirmila, who alleged that she jumped after being harassed by a group of youths who were chasing them.

However, police claimed CCTV footage did not bear out the claim made by Urmila.

"Investigations reveal it was not what is being made out by the victim's cousin. It's a clear of suicide.
Preliminary enquiry indicates Urmila took the extreme step owing to some marital discord," Superintendent of Police (East) B.P. Ashok told reporters on Thursday.

According to police, Urmila was rushed to a private hospital, from where she was referred to the Trauma Centre. She succumbed to her injuries late on Wednesday.

CCTV footage shows that before the incident, Urmila tried to commit suicide at least three times from different places in the mall, police said.

"She could probably not jump earlier as there were guards. However, after not finding a guard at a particular place, Urmila jumped from the spot," said Kumar.

"It appears Nirmila knew that her sister would commit suicide. She is being questioned," he said.