Woman jumps off 18th floor with child

A 28-year-old woman committed suicide by jumping off the balcony of the flat allotted to her family at an under-construction high-rise in Kandivli (W) with her two-year-old daughter on (Monday).

The police said Kritika Patel, her in-laws and husband, Kaushal, 30, a construction work contractor, and their daughter, Jaini, had to shift to a flat in Shankar Galli in Kandivli (W) on after the building there were living in at the nearby Roopnagar area in SV Road was taken up for redevelopment. 

As per the redevelopment agreement, the Patels have been allotted a flat on the 18th floor of the 23-storied building, which is under construction.

Around 2.30pm on Monday, Kritika picked her daughter up from her playschool and went to the construction site. She walked right in, saying she wanted to check up on the work progress. The watchman, therefore, didn’t question her much.

Kritika then went up to her flat, kept aside her handbag as well Jaini’s schoolbag and jumped off the building with the child. The two landed on the elevated loft on the fifth floor. Construction workers, who rushed to the spot immediately, called the police thereafter.

The police found a suicide note in Kritika’s handbag, in which she reportedly expressed her disappointment with herself for failing to keep her family happy and held that none of her family members should be held responsible for her death.

A case of accidental death was registered. “Kritika gave a clean chit to her family, but we will record the statements of the family to find out what worried her enough to make her take such a drastic step,” said Jaywant Hargude, assistant commissioner of police, Malvani division.