A 27-year-old software employee was discovered dead by suicide in her Suddaguntepalya flat in Bengaluru late Tuesday night, and her family alleges that the young woman took the extreme step after experiencing continuous harassment for dowry from her in-laws.
The deceased, Shilpa, had been married for a little over 2.5 years and had a one-and-a-half-year-old child. Shilpa, who had a Bachelor of Engineering degree, previously worked at Infosys, whereas her husband, Praveen, also recruited in the tech space previously with Oracle, left his job after a year of marriage to pursue a food business.
Shilpa’s parents assert in their complaint that Praveen’s family made dowry demands before the wedding, including Rs 15 lakh in cash, 150 g of gold jewellery and some household goods. These items were apparently fulfilled, but the harassment did not end there, as the family argues that after Shilpa got married, she continued to be asked for money and other valuables as reported by NDTV.
The complaint also alleges that Shilpa was subjected to repeated insults over her appearance. “You are dark and not a good match for my son. Leave him, we will find him a better bride,” her mother-in-law allegedly told her, as per the police complaint.
In addition, the family claims that Praveen’s family had asked them for an additional Rs 5 lakh to help with Praveen’s business six months ago. Although it placed an additional “emotional and financial burden” on Shilpa’s parents, they claim they paid her family this amount in order to relieve some of the pressure on their daughter.
The police in Suddaguntepalya have registered a case on the charges of dowry harassment and unnatural death. Praveen has been taken for questioning and the investigation is under the guidance of an officer of assistant commissioner rank. Shilpa’s family received her body after the post-mortem was completed.
“All the allegations have been made by the victim’s family. We have registered a case of dowry death as per protocol. The husband is being questioned and we are trying to ascertain the veracity of the allegations,” a police official said.
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