23 Year Old Neha Chhikara, Wife of Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Crewmember Jumps Overboard in Bahama (Update: Search Called Off)
The wife of a Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship crew member aboard the Monarch of the Seas is reported missing. It was initially thought that she fell off the cruise ship; however, it is now being reported that she jumped overboard in the Bahamas. 23 year old Neha Chhikara was reported missing at approximately 12:15 p.m. on Thursday; however, ship surveillance video later showed the passenger jumping overboard at 4:11 a.m.
Royal Caribbean spokeswoman Cynthia Martinez says the guest was reported missing by her husband. Security camera footage showed the 23-year-old woman going overboard from the 11th deck early that morning.
Martinez said Friday that Bahamian government officials reviewed the footage and determined that the woman jumped overboard.
The ship left Port Canaveral, Fla., on Monday for a five-day cruise through the Bahamas. It’s due to return Saturday.
UPDATE I: Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas Back in Port, Still no sign of Neha Chhikara
A C-130 aircraft was dispatched Friday afternoon to aid in the search for Neha Chhikara, said Petty Officer 3rd Class Nick Ameen of the Seventh Coast Guard District in Miami. The 23-year-old was reported missing from Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas at about 2 p.m. Thursday. A helicopter, a jet and a cutter were sent out to look for the woman.
“The search is continuing today, although so far we’ve had no leads,” Ameen said Saturday.
UPDATE II: Family of Neha Chhikara Crying Foul
Well this is rather bizarre, the family claims dowry harassment led to incident on New Year’s Eve; couple worked on luxury liner going from Miami to Bahamas.
The family of former air hostess Neha Chhikara, who allegedly committed suicide on January 1, has submitted a written complaint to the Gurgaon police alleging that she had been physically and mentally tortured for dowry by her husband and in-laws. The police are yet to register an FIR. Neha’s father-in-law is the Gurgaon civil surgeon, S S Dalal.
‘She sent SOS before her death’
Neha, 23, daughter-in-law of Gurgaon Civil Surgeon Dr SS Dalal, got killed under suspicious circumstances on a luxury ship on way from Miami in the USA to Bahamas.
Nearly an hour before her death, Neha had reportedly sent an e-mail to her brother, Anuj Chhikara, a local advocate, complaining about torture by her husband.
In the e-mail, reportedly sent on the afternoon of December 31, 2009, Neha had written that her husband Ankit Dalal, a manager with the Royal Caribbean Cruise “Monarch of Seas”, often used to get impulsive and beat her up without any reason.
UPDATE III: Search Called Off for Cruise Ship Passenger Neha Chhikara in Bahamas
The Coast Guard stopped searching Saturday afternoon for 23-year-old Neha Chhikara. She was reported missing Thursday afternoon from Royal Caribbean’s Monarch of the Seas as the ship headed from Nassau to CocoCay.
Posted January 1, 2010 by Scared Monkeys Bizarre, Cruise Ship, Missing Persons, Search and Recovery | 14 comments |
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14 Responses to “23 Year Old Neha Chhikara, Wife of Royal Caribbean Cruise Ship Crewmember Jumps Overboard in Bahama (Update: Search Called Off)”
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hey, any update on her??
hey,
any news about her till now ??
I am appauled. I was on this ship and was so curious about the crew and these people who would leave their lives for 6 or more months at a time. I have many questions, we left Nausau at about 12:30 am, she was last seen at 3:45am but her husband did not report her missing until after noon and they had time to search the huge ship and island before they reviewed security film. It just doesn’t seem like a good investigation. What type of checks do Royal Carribean do on the people that they employee? How could something like this happen. I will never cruise with Royal Carribean again, this is way too creepy. The search wasn’t even started until nearly 12 hours after she jumped.
I was also on this ship. I haven’t been able to sleep since the whole nightmare. I can still hear the CPT coming over the intercom. She tells us right before New Year’s dinner…then tells us to give there family some privacy. I couldn’t even concentrate to eat. I found it horrible to hear the news, then walk into dinner finding streamers, hats and blow horns to celebrate the new year. Nobody on that cruise gave a crap about this female. They just wanted to save there butts. I even talked to a waiter to get an update…and all he could say was…she must of had issues to do somethin so stupid. How insensitive can you be? My husband called to tell them the way they handled the whole thing over the intercom was inappropriate, especially when the little boys beside us were askin if someone jumped over…and if it was an accident. The guy tells my husband that he’s insensitive, when all my husband did was suggest a different approach than over the intercom…and then not even following up. I totally agree with the previous comment. What took them so long to search for her? The whole thing creeps me out too. I will never ever cruise with Royal Carribrean or reccomend them to anyone! And to put icing on the cake…we find out this poor woman was being abused by a fellow Royal Carribean worker. So now…tell me who was insensitive…my husband…or the abusuive pshyco’s that they employ? Btw these timelines don’t match up! Are they protecting this employee from his wife’s murder?
I was kind of shocked when the announcement was made over the intercom also. It did put a damper on New Year’s Eve. What ever the issue was, the husband having an affair or abusing his wife this should not have happened. Either circumstance this was sad. I hope the crew member, mananger, employee of Royal Carribean that has any involvement with this should be released from his job. My condolences to Chhikara’s family.
Its a very bad new. Someone who is a customer service manager who can handel 2200 guest onboard
and could not take care of his own wife. Its a shame. Whoever is at fault should be detained severly. Its a shame if it is a dowry harrasment.
I cannot imagine this is still happining in 2010.
Wake up my people whats wrong with our culture. My Condolences to the Chhikar’s family.
it is so pathetic to know that even now police has not taken any steps against the dalal’s…none of them is taken under arrest…and where the hell is ankit dalal???no clues about him what is the police doing??giving lame excuses that the incident being occured in international boundaries so the investigation is taking time.all crap..they all have been fed by the dalal’s.now who shall give justice????
It’s shocking that India is still having such incidents reported. But even shameful is that Neha’s death has again put question mark on the law’s prevailed in India especially the “Dowry Law”. Fews sites and newspapers have reported that Neha was actually under treatement for a pscychiatrist for a long time and that was kept a secret from her husband and parent-in-laws till date when the doctor who was treating her has eveolved and has shed some light on this incident. Sources say that she has tried suicide in past as well and was under heavy dosage of medicines. Doctors say that such patients do have a tendency of getting hallucinations and they say or write things that have no creditibility or meaning. Such seems to be the case here. Again Dowry law in India is getting misused on a day to day basis to pocket some money from their parent-in-law and husband who become vulnerable under such conditions. Law agencies and makers have to really think to make changes..Its high time !! Her real parents are the real culprits and for some money they married their daughter and now are haressing some innocent people who have not even out of grief and have to run pillar to post to save themselves. May Neha rest in peace and strenght be given to her husband and parent-inlaws.
I agree that Neha’s parents are the real cuprits and are miusing the Dowry law in India which needs big time review, may she rest in peace and husband be given strenght to deal with this.
What a pity that Neha story tells us how a girl is respected in India. What actually shocks me is that i recently saw in various news channels and sites that her real parents were the Real culprits – sources say that Neha tried commiting Suicide in past as well twice as she was a pyscological patient but her REAL mother was keeping it a secret from her husband and parent-in-laws and married her hastily to a reputed family, her doctor who was treating her has been found and has confirmed her being on strong medications. Also doctors say that under such condition patients do get hallucinations and can experience in their minds things that have never happened, which proves her last email to be wrong and misleading. I can’t understand that if her jaw was broken why her parents never reported this to law agencies ever. Its the infamous Dowry law in India that people misuse to get money out of parent-in-laws that has led to hide the real culprits which are her real parents… May Neha rest in peace and strenght be given to her Husband and parent in laws to face this challenge.
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hi i know neha chikkara she was so sweet n caring….i have worked with her at banglore airport….rest in peace….her husband will go to hell……….
neha chhikara was a characterlee girl in teh past and after married with Ankit Dalal she was still going with her boyfriend she used to called him up in the night .before she was going aound with some guy in her family but teh family was ooposes to the relationship and she got pregnant several times . in real life very cheated and clever girl.
I think this is the write place for her ..
I worked with Neha in Indigo.Infact we ver in the same batch. May god rest her soul in peace. She was not good to people but irrespective of all that wat ever happened with her was very bad. Her family should get justice.
Is the case still going on, or already closed?