A 19-year-old from Sangli allegedly died by suicide after facing pressure to convert his religion for marriage (Representative image enhanced with AI)KOLHAPUR: A 19-year-old from Sangli died by suicide after allegedly being pressured to change his religion to marry a young woman on June 25. Based on a complaint filed by the teenager’s mother, the Sangli city police have booked the young woman and her accomplice, who has been arrested.The deceased, Durvank Shevale of the Khanbaug area, was found hanging from a ceiling fan with a window curtain in his room on June 25. In her complaint, Bharati Shevale, Durvank’s mother, alleged that her son was in a relationship with the young woman and was being pressured to convert his religion. She claimed the continuous pressure drove him to take the extreme step.Following Durvank's death, the family accessed his social media account with the help of a neighbour. According to the complaint, a 12-second video recorded by Durvank was found. While the video allegedly stated that he was ending his life, it did not mention any specific reason.The complainant told police that chats recovered from the account revealed that Durvank was in love with the young woman, a resident of Kolhapur district who frequently visited relatives in the same locality where he lived. The two had reportedly become acquainted over the past six months.“We have taken custody of the mobile phone. It is being analysed. The video does not specify the motive behind the extreme step. However, through call detail records and chat history, it can be said that the accused were in touch with him,” said inspector Arun Sugaonkar, of the Sangli city police station.Police said Durvank entered his room around 10. 30am on June 25 and locked the door. When his mother checked on him in the afternoon, she found him hanging from the ceiling fan.Investigators have also learnt that after completing Class XII, Durvank joined a private firm in Dec 2025. He had recently been transferred to Pune, but he frequently returned to Sangli to attend practice sessions of a dhol-tasha pathak.According to the complaint, Durvank knew the arrested accused, Sahil Bagwan, from a previous stint at work. Bharati Shevale alleged that Sahil had been asking the young woman to persuade Durvank to convert to their religion for marriage.“We are investigating the motive as claimed by the complainant,” Sugaonkar said.Police said further investigation, including forensic analysis of the mobile phone, call records and digital communications, is underway to establish the circumstances leading to the teenager’s death.