In a very shocking incident, a 19-year-old woman from northeast Delhi’s Ashok Nagar died on Monday night. Her death came nearly 12 hours after she was allegedly pushed off a five-storey building by a man. The man allegedly wore a burqa to disguise himself and had been stalking her for months.

The accused, identified as 30-year-old Taufiq-Ur-Rehman. The man was arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Rampur after fleeing the crime scene.

What happened?

According to reports, the tragic incident occurred around 8:30 a.m. on Monday. The accused, Taufiq, disguised in a burqa, allegedly entered the victim’s building. He then lured her to the terrace, and pushed her off the building in front of her father.

The victim, Neha, was immediately rushed to GuruTeg Bahadur Hospital by her father. However, Neha succumbed to her injuries later that night.

I saw him strangling my daughter: Father of the victim

The victim’s father, Surender Kumar, recounted the horrifying sequence. “I was downstairs doing my chores when I heard a commotion,” said Kumar. “I saw him strangling my daughter. I tried to save her, but he pushed me aside and then threw her off the rooftop,” he said. “After that attack, I couldn’t get up. My arm was hurting badly. I couldn’t even move to protect Neha,” he added.

“I tried to save Neha but Taufiq shoved me,” the dazed father recounted, stunned as he was by the fact that he had been unable to do anything but scream as his daughter fell to her death. As chaos unfolded on the rooftop, he said he rushed to protect his daughter Neha when Taufiq allegedly grabbed and pushed him to the ground.

Accused arrested

The accused, Taufiq, is a daily wage worker originally from Hapur. He had been known to the family for years and was considered like a brother by Neha. Taufiq had even tied rakhi on his wrist in the past by Neha. However, relations soured when the family discovered that he had lied about not having a sister, and Neha cut ties with him. Following this, the family said, he began harassing and threatening her.

“The accused was allegedly upset with the victim because she had stopped talking to him for the past few days. On Monday, he disguised himself in a burqa and went to meet her on the fifth-floor terrace of her apartment building. He told her to come upstairs for a conversation. They likely had an argument there, which escalated when he pushed her off the building,” said an officer.

Taufiq threatened Neha

Despite repeated advances and a recent threat of harm, the family had not lodged a police complaint, believing he wouldn’t act violently. On the day of the attack, Neha had gone to the terrace to switch on the water pump. Moments later, she was allegedly assaulted and thrown off the roof.

The incident has caused deep shock in the locality, with fears of communal tension as the victim was Hindu and the accused is Muslim. Shops in Ashok Nagar remained shut on Tuesday in protest, and some market associations announced they would not employ Muslim workers, sparking concerns over rising communal polarization.

Police complaint registered

Police initially registered a case of attempted murder and criminal intimidation, later upgrading it to murder. Additional charges related to stalking and crimes against women are being considered. Security has been heightened in the area to maintain law and order.

The family of the victim stated that Taufiq had recently started pressuring Neha to marry him. Just a week earlier, he was believed to have threatened her, saying, “Main tujhe kahin ka nahi chhodunga (I’ll completely ruin you).” Neha had informed her mother about the threat.

I saw Taufiq fleeing: Victim’s mother

Furthermore, Neha’s mother said that she had woken up early and said she was going to wash clothes on the terrace. She also asked her mother to switch on the water pump. “Then I heard screams, people shouting ‘Catch him! Catch him!’ I saw Taufiq fleeing. He was dressed in black,” the mother said. “We had warned him to maintain a pure brother-sister relationship with Neha, but he didn’t listen.”

According to reports, Neha had recently started working at a private firm. She was seen as the family’s hope for a better future. Her devastated family continues to demand justice, with calls for the harshest possible punishment for the accused.