Indian man, pregnant wife found dead in murder-suicide case

New York: A 35-year old Indian woman, who was five months pregnant, was founded murdered in her apartment and her husband was found dead in an apparent suicide in the Hudson River near here, authorities said.

Garima Kothari was found unresponsive with trauma to her upper body on April 26 by Jersey City police officers, the Hudson County Prosecutor’s Office said.

Following an autopsy by the Regional Medical Examiner, Kothari’s death was ruled homicide. She suffered multiple injuries in her upper body. Additionally, the Medical Examiner determined that Kothari was approximately five months pregnant.

Kothari’s husband Man Mohan Mall, 37, was found dead in the Hudson River in Jersey City.

The Jersey City Police Department was responding to a report of the possible suicide attempt in the Hudson River. They found an unresponsive Mall in the river near Montgomery Street and Exchange Place in Jersey City.

Mall was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause and manner of Mall’s death is still pending with the Regional Medical Examiner.

The Prosecutor’s Office Homicide Unit is investigating the case with assistance from the Jersey City Police Department.

While it seems that the deaths are the result of a murder-suicide, the final determination is pending till the complete findings of the Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.

Authorities have sought information on the murder-suicide.

According to a report in the Daily Voice, Kothari was a talented chef and Mall was an alumnus of the India Institute of Technology (IIT), who had come to the US to pursue his master’s degree at the Columbia University.

The couple owned an Indian restaurant Nukkad’, a few blocks from their Jersey City high-rise apartment.

“They were a nice couple,” said an employee of Nukkad, according to the report.

A family member described Mall as a very intelligent and caring person and Kothari as a talented chef who was extremely friendly and dedicated to her profession, the report said.