Ex-Miss India commits suicide

A former Miss India and television anchor committed suicide by hanging herself from a ceiling fan at her home in Mumbai, police said yesterday.

She was due to marry her car dealer boyfriend, Gautam Khanduja on August 7.

According to the police, Nafisa, 25, came to know that Khanduja was married after they had decided on the date of the wedding and the cards were printed and posted.

The police have summoned Gautam who was in Panvel yesterday, for questioning. According to the police, Nafisa saw a joint bank account pass book of Gautam and his first wife.

She asked him if he was divorced and demanded to see his divorce papers. But he got nasty and abusive and told her that if she persisted about this issue he would not marry her.

He called off the wedding on Wednesday. Nafisa was found hanging in her flat by her mother, Usha Joseph, on Thursday. Her mother said Gautam is responsible for Nafisa's death.

She was cremated at the Oshiwara Electric crematorium at 4.30 pm. Those who attended the funeral included Cyrus Broacha, Marc Robinson and a number of models.

Amithab Gupta, deputy commissioner of police, said police was enquiring with the family members about her relationship with Gautam. "She fell in love with Gautam a year ago. Gautam had got married five years ago. However, Nafisa came to know about Gautam's first marriage only in early July this year," Gupta said. He said that they were told there was fight between Nafisa and Gautam on Wednesday afternoon. They had an argument over his divorce papers and that this had upset her.

Sources said her two earlier relationships had also not worked out.

On the fateful Thursday night Nafisa had reportedly locked the room where her mother was busy preparing food and then hanged herself .

© The Asian Age