Thiruvananthapuram Police said on Sunday that a 24-year-old woman died by suicide at her matrimonial home in Kerala’s Kasaragod district, while the family of the deceased alleged that she was subjected to prolonged domestic violence and mental harassment by her husband and mother-in-law over dowry.
An inspector at Vidyanagar police station, where a First Information Report (FIR) was registered based on a complaint filed by the brother of the deceased, told HT that the incident was reported late on Saturday in Panalam, and the pair has been taken into custody and will be arrested soon.
“The woman’s family alleged that she was mentally harassed over dowry and other matters by her husband and mother-in-law. On Saturday, she was physically assaulted by her husband and her phone was stolen when she tried to call her family,” the officer said.
He added: “Later, the woman went to the neighbor’s house and was able to contact her family, who agreed to come. After her brother and other family members arrived, a quarrel broke out between the two families. In the middle, the woman quickly went inside and drank a highly toxic cleaning agent. She drank the liquid in front of her brother and husband.”
Although the woman was transferred to a nearby government hospital, her condition became critical. She died early Sunday.
According to police, the couple had been married for just over a year and had a two-month-old child.
“Based on the brother’s complaint, we have arrested the 27-year-old husband. He will be formally arrested. Based on further information, we will also question his mother-in-law,” the officer said.
The Vidyanagar police detained the husband on charges of abetment to suicide and cruelty to a woman by her in-laws under Section 85 of the Bharatiya Nyai Sanhita (BNS) Act.
