A 35-year-old Egyptian woman has died after she threw herself off her apartment's balcony when her home was stormed by three of her neighbours, Reuters reported.

The incident happened in early March, within the Al Salam neighbourhood of Cairo.

Apartment breached over suspicion of pre-marital relations

The apartment was breached because of the presence of a male visitor in the woman's house, whom the neighbours suspected of having pre-marital relations with the woman.

Egyptian media reported that the male visitor was also tied up and beaten with sticks.

A statement by the prosecution said, "The victim was so horrified that she threw herself from her apartment's balcony, leading to her death."

Some initial media reports of the incident said the woman had allegedly been thrown by the assailants to her death. Her landlord, who was reportedly one of the assailants, had denied any wrongdoing, and said that the woman had killed herself during a "psychological crisis."

The woman was also identified as a doctor in some reports.

All three suspects have since been arrested and charged for using force and threatening violence, although it is unclear if they will also be charged for the death of the woman, who leaves behind two children.

They will face trial next month.

Egyptian social norms frown on women living alone

Several Egyptian women whom Reuters spoke to said that the country's social norms disapprove of a woman who lives by herself.

A textile engineer who lives alone, Nesma Nasr, said that at one point, she lived in her apartment without water for a week as she feared calling the plumber and evoking scrutiny from her neighbours.

She was quoted as saying:

"Society decided to impose complete control on women. It decides on every aspect of their life -- who to meet, who not to meet, what work to do, when to leave home and when to come back."

A feminist writer, Ghadeer Ahmed, added that in poorer areas of Cairo, which have a greater population density, neighbours and landlords tend to police women's behaviour on an informal basis.

The head of of the Egyptian Centre for Women Rights, Nehad Abo El Komsan, further noted that laws, such as those which criminalise beatings, are not enforced.

As such, there is a lack of protection mechanism for women, she said.

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