Mumbai: Woman kills self over dowry in Dahisar; husband, in-laws booked

The Dahisar police have booked three people in connection to the alleged dowry death of a 22-year-old woman. Police said that the accused people allegedly harassed her over dowry and forced abortion, following which she died. A case has been lodged and the probe is underway.

According to police sources, the deceased, identified as Bharti Adiwal, 22, got married to Pradip, without her parent's permission or will via a court marriage in January last year. While Pradip and Bharti were previously engaged, the engagement was called off because the former allegedly suspected Bharti of having an affair. The duo, however, patched up and got married in a court.

Soon after the marriage, according to the statement, Pradip allegedly asked Bharti to sever ties with her family, only to be rekindled in October. When Bharti came over to stay at her maternal house, she informed her family that her in-laws were allegedly harassing her for not bringing 'women wealth' and were demanding ₹4-5 lakh in cash along with a scooter. While Bharti's mother, who is the complainant, in this case, said she could not afford it at the time, she promised to get it done later.

In October, when the complainant lost her husband, she learnt that her daughter was pregnant, but the latter was asked to get an abortion as the family did not want a child. Later, when the complainant had gone to her hometown for her husband's last rites, she stayed there for a month. On January 12, she received a call from Bharti, claiming she was unhappy and wanted to come back, but since the complainant was not in town, she asked Bharti to stay put.

A few hours later, she received a call from Bharti's neighbour that the latter was serious and being rushed to the hospital, only to be later declared dead. When the complainant returned to the city, she learnt that her daughter allegedly killed herself overpressure and subsequently lodged a complaint with Dahisar Police against Bharti's husband and in-laws for dowry death. While police have made no arrest, they are investigating the matter.

Published on: Sunday, January 16, 2022, 10:05 PM IST