New Delhi, Aug 31 - Guess who - or rather what - is playing villain in marriages nowadays? The mobile phone, says Delhi Police's Crimes Against Women (CAW) cell.

The CAW unit in south Delhi's Nanakpura area, which has since November 2008 been trying to resolve marital discord through a mediation cell, insists that the mobile phones of newly wedded brides are often to blame.

'While in most cases there is trouble owing to dowry harassment or domestic violence, we have been getting many cases where a minor quarrel which can be resolved makes people want to take extreme steps. The cell phone is what makes it to assume big proportions,' CWC Deputy Commissioner H.P.S. Virk told IANS.

Take the case of Ashu (name changed), a 21-year-old who got married last year. Her parents gifted her a mobile phone. After two weeks at her in-laws' house, there was a falling out.

Promptly Ashu messaged her parents that there had been a fight. Her parents in turn called up her husband, who was ready to apologise at first but didn't like the in-laws butting in.

'There are other cases where the person feels suspicious about an extramarital affair on the basis of a text message. The couple decides to separate. Such cases need to be handled properly and don't need court intervention,' Virk said.

The CAW unit has a mediation cell in Nanakpura - the only one of its kind set up by Delhi Police - where a team of counsellors tries to get to the bottom of the problem.

'We have a team of cops and counsellors that looks at the possibility of things working out or an out of court settlement.'

Psychiatrist Sameer Malhotra says more and more couples rely on what they find on cell phones or other means rather than communicating face to face.

'I have seen a spurt in cases where couples resort to checking e-mails or messages on mobile phones to ascertain what the spouse's relationship is with friends or office colleagues. What we see here is a breakdown of trust thanks to that doubt,' Malhotra said.

When this happens, there is no room for compromise and it leads to further complication of the relationship, Malhotra said.