A 23-year-old pregnant woman was allegedly found dead inside her residence in Khoda on Sunday evening, with police registering a case of dowry death against her husband and nine in-laws. The husband is currently absconding.
According to police, the woman had been married for nearly two-and-a-half years and lived with her husband and their one-year-old daughter. She was four months pregnant at the time of her death.
Neighbours alert police after child’s cries
At around 10 pm on Sunday, neighbours reportedly heard the couple’s minor daughter crying continuously. When they checked the house, they found the door open and the woman lying on the floor inside. A piece of cloth was also found hanging from an iron girder on the ceiling, indicating the possibility that she may have hanged herself, police said.
Abhishek Srivastava, Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), Indirapuram circle, stated that the autopsy report revealed the woman had died late on Saturday night. “Police were informed by neighbours around 10 pm on Sunday. The child was clinging to the woman lying on the floor,” he said.
FIR under BNS and Dowry Prohibition Act
During initial investigation, police found that the husband was allegedly present at home until Sunday evening but did not inform authorities. He reportedly fled thereafter.
Based on a complaint filed by the woman’s father, an FIR was registered at Khoda police station under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 85 (cruelty by husband or relatives), Section 80(2) (dowry death), and provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act.
In his complaint, the father alleged that his daughter had been harassed and beaten for additional dowry demands since her marriage. “They often used to harass her and demand more dowry. On February 15, we came to know that they killed my daughter,” he stated in the FIR.
Police said further investigation is underway, and efforts are on to trace the absconding husband.