A Delhi cafe owner, Puneet Khurana, was found dead at his home in Model Town's Kalyan Vihar area on New Year's Eve. 1 The 40-year-old allegedly ended his life due to suffering, harassment and emotional stress caused by his estranged wife. His mother is now seeking justice.

She said, “For a year, things were fine between them, but after that, they started having problems. I even tried separating them, hoping it would help. But she kept torturing my son, and he silently put up with it,” Khurana’s mother told ANI, clearly upset.

She further said, “Sometimes it was about money, sometimes their joint business, and other times family issues. My son never spoke openly to anyone, not even to his mother or father. He would think, ‘Why burden my parents with more worry?’ He kept his pain and sadness to himself, and I don’t know what happened yesterday. He had recovered before, but yesterday, she hurt him so much that he took this step.”

Puneet Khurana and Manika Pahwa got married in 2016 and co-owned two businesses: the For God’s Cake bakery and Woodbox Cafe, which has since closed. However, their relationship took a turn for the worse, leading to the filing of a divorce notice.

According to Puneet's sister, the couple had initially run the bakery as a partnership. But when the divorce proceedings began, it was decided in court that Puneet would take responsibility for managing For God’s Cake, while Manika would take over the Woodbox Cafe. The formal agreements had already been signed by that point.

Khurana’s family has stated that their son has recorded a 59-minute-long video in which he accused his wife of harassment. They also claimed that Manika had hacked into his social media accounts.Deputy Commissioner of Police (Northwest Delhi), Bhisham Singh, confirmed that an investigation is happening, and both families are being questioned.

He said, “Puneet Khurana’s father said his son was having problems in his marriage and blamed his wife for harassing him, which led to his suicide.”

“We have taken his mobile phone, and we are checking the family’s claims. Both families are helping with the investigation. Manika’s family has made their accusations, and there is a divorce case going on,” he added.
The police have collected call recordings, CCTV footage, and Khurana’s phone for analysis. They are also looking into financial issues and property disputes.