In a major development, an FIR has been filed against Ludhiana's renowned P.N. Kapoor Hosiery Factory owner, Pankaj Kapoor, his wife Archana Kapoor, and son Piyush Kapoor. They have been booked for allegedly harassing their daughter-in-law, Palak Malhotra, for dowry, as well as physically assaulting and throwing her out of their house. The FIR has been filed at the Women’s Cell Police Station in response to a complaint lodged by Palak Malhotra, a resident of Badaiwal Road, against her husband Piyush Kapoor, her father-in-law Pankaj Kapoor, and mother-in-law Archana Kapoor, who reside in Sukhmani Enclave.
In her complaint, Palak Malhotra has accused her husband Piyush of having extra-marital affairs, including an illicit relationship with his own aunt-in-law, Payal Anand Kapoor. According to Palak, her marriage to Piyush took place on July 11, 2024. She revealed that her family had given gold jewellery and a Mercedes car as dowry and spent nearly Rs. 4 crores on the wedding. However, her in-laws continued to demand more dowry, putting immense mental pressure on her.
Palak further stated that her sister-in-law, Vani Kapoor, also harassed her, as her in-laws (Ramnijk Bhatia and Seema Bhatia of Jannapath Estate) had been demanding dowry from her family. Vani would often return home and demand more dowry from Palak.
'Marriage based on false claims'
Palak further claimed that she was misled by Piyush’s educational qualifications. They had told her that Piyush had completed his graduation, but after marriage, she discovered that he had only passed 12th grade, along with several other misleading claims. On the other hand, Palak holds a degree in M.Tech from BITS Pilani.
She further accused Piyush of being addicted to gambling and drugs. She claims that Piyush forced her to give him money. He even mortgaged her gold bracelet and chain for Rs. 2.45 lakh, which he used for gambling. Despite her protests, Piyush began physically assaulting her.
Palak also alleged that after their marriage, Piyush maintained relationships with several other women. She caught him chatting with other women on multiple occasions and even found him in compromising positions with his aunt-in-law, Payal Anand Kapoor, on three separate occasions. Whenever Payal opposed the situation, Piyush allegedly turned his anger on Palak and assaulted her.
Palak recounted that on October 25, 2024, after being beaten by her husband and mother-in-law, she was thrown out of the house. She called her father for help, fearing further violence from her in-laws. Upon checking the house's CCTV footage, her father discovered that Piyush and Archana Kapoor had stolen all of Palak's jewellery, wrapped it in a cloth, and hidden it away.