YouTube Star Arrested After Wife’s Suspicious Death

A 26-year-old YouTuber has been arrested following his wife’s death, which is now being viewed as suspicious. Bhandup Police in India arrested YouTuber Jitendra Agarwal, better known as Jeetu Jaan, on Sunday. He was booked under Section 306 (abetment of suicide), 304(b) (dowry death), 323 (punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), and 504 (intentional insult with intent to provoke breach of the peace) of the Indian Penal Code.

The case of abetment to suicide, according to Mid-Day, stems from the May 28 death of Agarwal’s wife, 23-year-old Komal Agarwal, who was found unconscious and taken to a local hospital by Agarwal’s family on the afternoon on May 27. Although Komal’s family alleged Agarwal told them Komal died “after consuming some liquid,” senior police inspector Sham Shinde said “the postmortem report by the government hospital also says that she died due to hanging.” Komal’s sister, Priya Tiwar, said that when she saw her sister after her passing, she “saw several injuries on [her] sister’s body.” Komal’s family also alleged that there had been a history of domestic violence, which began shortly after Komal and Agarwal married in March.

“Within 10-12 days of marriage, my daughter called her elder sister and told her that her husband was fighting with her and also beat her up for not doing household work,” Komal’s mother said in a complaint, with Tiwar claiming that just days before her passing, Komal had sought safety outside of the home she shared with her husband. “It was love marriage and within three months of marriage, she was being harassed, tortured and beaten up by her husband every day…. Two weeks ago, Komal stayed at my house and told me about the harassment and torture by Jitendra’s mother for not doing household work. Jitendra had also beaten her up at several occasions. She was not ready to go back to her house but Jitendra came with a police constable from Bhandup police station and took her back.”

After Komal’s family raised several questions regarding her death, they filed a complaint and an abetment to suicide case was registered. According to Bhandup police, Agarwal “was arrested on the same day and currently, he is in judicial custody.”

If you or someone you know is in crisis, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact the Crisis Text Line by texting TALK to 741-741.