When was the last time we saw a woman going to insane lengths to strike back at her husband? Oh, right – It was ‘Gone Girl’. The story was so twisted and wicked that we were glad it was just a novel, and not a real life story. But then, enters Komal – who seems to have gone to insane lengths to strike back at her husband – in real life for mysterious reasons.
A 29-year-old Komal Talan, as TOI reported, disappeared from her in-laws’ house in Pandav Nagar, Delhi, on July 5th. The next day, her car was found next Hindon Canal, Ghaziabad. Along with the car, was a suicide note mentioning that she was ‘going away’ and accusing her husband and in-laws for torturing her over dowry. At first, this seems like a story driven by despair. But to Komal, it was the first step in the carefully laid out plan of hers.
After 24-hours of her disappearance on July 6th, while the canal was still being combed for her body, Komal’s family filed a report against Abhishek Chaudhary, Komal’s husband, and his family. Aligned with her disappearance, suicide, and the family’s report regarding dowry, her in-laws were charged under Dowry Prohibition Act. Police also detained Abhishek with the possibility of domestic violence and murder of Komal Talan, as accused by her family.
In the meantime, Komal took up an overnight bus to Jaipur and booked a flight ticket with a fake ID and the alias, Kamakshi. On July 7th, she reached Mumbai, stayed in a hotel and booked a ticket in Coimbatore Express under the same alias and fake ID. She didn’t set anywhere to go – just to stay away until her husband had been arrested.
Everything had gone quite according to the plan – The only ‘mole’ in her plan was electronic surveillance. Police told that Komal was in touch with some of her friends using a different number. This was how they were able to track her, and arrest her on July 8th, in Bengaluru.
While the reporting, the SP (city) Shlok Kumar told that the police had an inkling of her plan when they talked to some of her friends. Her motive was to see her husband behind bars. She kept on the move to avoid detection, and didn’t communicate with her parents either.
After returning to Ghaziabad, Komal once again accused her husband and in-laws of domestic abuse. While the kidnapping charges have been dropped, her husband has been arrested on other charges and was to be produced before a magistrate for the same.
Komal Talan: I was frustrated because of the torture by my in-laws. I wasn't planning to lie on purpose & go to Bengaluru. When I came here, I realised my parents have also done so much for me for 30 years, & that's why I left. I didn't know where was I going. pic.twitter.com/myNut7Qgrp
— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 9, 2019
It feels awful to realize that dowry cases still happen in urban cities, much more so among educated families. But the question is – Was this the right way to go about it?