The Hindu : Front Page : Amith, Rinku gave no hint to anyone about troubled relationship

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Mar 25, 2008
ePaper | Mobile/PDA Version

Front Page

Front Page

Amith, Rinku gave no hint to anyone about troubled relationship

Staff Reporter

They made a nice pair … both the families are shocked, says Amith’s uncle

— Photo: K. Murali Kumar

Stunned: Family members, relatives and friends of the couple at Victory Hospital in Bangalore on Monday.

BANGALORE: “Both the families are shocked. Amith was intelligent and composed … Rinku was a jovial person. They made a nice pair. We did not know if there were any strains in their relationship,” said Amith Budhiraj’s maternal uncle, Anand Malik. He was among the relatives who accompanied Amith’s father, Madanlal Budhiraj, and mother, Kusuma, to Bangalore on Tuesday.

Amith Budhiraj, 30, allegedly killed his wife, Rinku Sachdev, 28, and hanged himself to death at their house on 3rd Main, Koramangala 8th Block, on Saturday. Amith was a software engineer with Infosys Technologies and Rinku was a customer relations manager with Standard Chartered Bank on Mahatma Gandhi Road.

Suicide note

Mr. Malik told presspersons here on Tuesday that the note recovered from the house, in which Amith mentioned the reasons for smothering Rinku to death, was indeed written by Amith. “It appears Amith took a long time to write a lengthy note beforehand in a composed manner. It is difficult to check the facts stated in it … I cannot decide,” he said. Amith had material related to the relationship on his laptop too, he said.

He said the family members were unaware of any discord between the couple. “There did not appear to be any. When I spoke to Amith on the day of Holi he was laughing,” he said. Amith was the elder of two children. Amith and Rinku met each other through the website shaadi.com, and their marriage was conducted in a traditional manner in Mumbai in 2007. “We are all shocked,” Mr. Malik said.

Families, kin arrive

Earlier, many relatives, including Rinku’s parents, Harish Sachdev and Beenu, came to the St. John’s hospital mortuary, where the bodies were kept. From St. John’s the bodies were brought to Victoria Hospital for the autopsy. Mr. and Mrs. Sachdev arrived from Muscat.

‘Leave us alone’

Most of the relatives and the friends of the couple avoided the media. “We are disturbed … leave us alone … do not take any pictures or video. You have already tarnished the image of Rinku,” said one of them. “We will get back to you after the cremation,” the relative, who preferred anonymity, said.

An Infosys spokesperson said, “We do not wish to comment as this is a personal issue. The company is extending all possible help to the relatives in this time of tragedy.”

Standard Chartered Bank issued the following statement: “We are deeply saddened and shocked by the news of Rinku’s passing away. Our thoughts are with the family.”

Two cases

Deputy Commissioner of Police (South-East) Soumendu Mukherjee said a case of murder and unnatural death had been registered. “The case of murder will not stand as the accused, Amith, is dead,” he said.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page