Posted by the wife of a coffee shop owner in Delhi a few days before his suicide

Less than a week before coffee shop owner Puneet Khurana died by suicide in Delhi, his estranged wife and business partner Manika Pahwa posted a cryptic post on social media in which she claimed that she was a victim of “toxic and narcissistic abuse” and now she is free. The couple, co-owners of the popular Woodbox Cafe in Delhi, were going through a divorce.

Khurana (40) was found hanged in his room in Kalyan Vihar area of ​​Model Town on New Year’s Eve. He spoke to Manika on Monday evening and recorded the conversation, during which the couple can be heard arguing about business-related issues.

Khurana’s family blamed Ms Pahwa for his death and said she “inciteted” him to commit suicide.

In her Instagram post six days ago, Ms Pahwa said she was healing well “from all the toxicity and narcissistic abuse” and was trying every day “to be better and be indifferent.”

Without naming anyone, she said higher powers would decide what was best for her “perpetrators.”

“Well, feminism suits me because idealistic values ​​are at my core, and feminism is all about giving and receiving respect. Mutually. No slave treatment and no stopping any girl to say what she thinks (sic). Even a domestic help, a guard, a rikshawala, a small child deserves respectful treatment. A coward once argued with me, claiming that “respect must be earned.” Phew! What a disgrace, na. I disagree, respect should be shown to everyone. If not, you’ve lost respect, honey. Phew! Maybe that’s why in India we address people with “aap’, “bhaiya”, “Didi” even to strangers, right?” – she wrote.

Calling her captors “insecure cowards”, Ms Pahwa stated that virtues such as kindness and love were more important than money.

“I just wish that these abusers would one day look in the mirror and understand… that kindness, love, understanding, trust, wisdom, affection and caring are true virtues and matter so much more than money, property and gold. God bless the naysayers 🙂 I know no one can change, but let’s pray no one else suffers because of a bunch of insecure cowards. My tribe, pray with me… OK? 🙂 I love you all… I am free and the beautiful Ruins are part of me,” she wrote.

“It made him angry.”

On Wednesday, Khurana’s sister told news agency ANI that Ms. Pahwa did it he incited him.

“Manika Pahwa, her parents and sister forced my brother, stressed him, incited him, saying ‘you can’t do anything, if you dare, die by suicide’. Puneet shot a video before his death, it is on his phone, he told everything how Manika and his parents put mental pressure on him, threatened to throw our parents out and urged him to open the shutter of his shop,” she said.

She argued that the division of the business was clearly defined, but Ms Pahwa still demanded a share in the second part as well.

“Previously, they ran a bakery business in a partnership. But when the first divorce petition was signed, it was decided and written in writing that Puneet would manage For God Bakery and Manika would get Woodbox Cafe. It has been signed. Even after that she kept saying that she will not leave her share once the matter is settled in court, go there and raise the issue. She kept calling him and demanding her share,” the sister said.

Khurana’s mother also alleged that Mrs. Pahwa tortured her son and he suffered in silence.

“They both shared things and argued about it. He didn’t tell us anything openly, thinking we would get angry. He swallowed his sadness. My son was fine, but yesterday she tortured him so much that she decided to take this step,” she said.

The couple got married in 2016 and have been separated for two years. Khurana’s family filed a complaint with the police and sought action against Ms. Pahwa and her family.