New Jersey : IIT Man Kills Pregnant Wife and found Dead in a River

A five months Indian pregnant lady, Garima Kothari who was a chef and restaurant owner, was killed on Sunday in Jersey City and left inside her apartment as part of a grisly murder-suicide.

An autopsy by Medical Examiner found 35 yr old lady suffered multiple upper body injuries in her death, which was officially ruled a homicide.

Her body was found at 7:15 a.m on Sunday and at the same time her husband’s body was found floating in the Hudson River near the Exchange Place. Man Mohan Mall, aged 37, was pronounced to dead 40 minutes after the discovery of his wife, said officials in a statement on Monday.

Authorities have not revealed motive for the vicious slaying of Kothari, who was five months pregnant. The couple owned a restaurant, named Nukkad, which was a trendy Indian eatery in Jersey City’s waterfront Paulus Hook neighborhood.

It describes its cuisine as “Indian Soul Food” on its website and provides a friendly atmosphere. Due to the spread of the coronavirus pandemic, the couple was forced to close the restaurant, but they reopened later for delivery and pickup, as per the Kothari’s Facebook page.

As she wrote in an April 19 post “Yet another tough decision — Nukkad restaurant is up and running — even on Sunday’s now. I would so appreciate the support of the community at this point of time!”

Mall was from India Institute of Technology (IIT), who had come to the US to pursue his master's degree at the Columbia University.

Further details about the incident are still awaited.