A 27-year-old female software professional was found dead at her house in Bengaluru’s Suddaguntepalya. The deceased’s parents have filed a complaint with police, stating that their daughter died by suicide after being continuously harassed by her husband's family for dowry.
The deceased, Shilpa, had been married to Praveen for two and a half years. The couple has a one-and-a-half-year-old child. Before marriage, Shilpa had completed her graduation in engineering and was working as a software engineer at Infosys, while Praveen was employed at Oracle. A year after marriage, they resigned from their jobs and started a food business.
According to the complaint, Praveen's family had initially demanded Rs 15 lakh cash, 150 grams of gold jewelry and household items during the wedding. Although these demands were met, Shilpa's family alleged that the harassment continued, with repeated demands for additional money and valuables. Six months ago, the family claimed they were pressured to give Rs 5 lakh to support Praveen's business.
Victim's family claims daughter often harassed over complexion
Shilpa's parents further alleged that their daughter was often insulted over her complexion. The complaint stated that her mother-in-law would often torment her by saying, "You are dark and not a good match for my son. Leave him, we will find a better bride for him."
Police launch probe
Police reported that a case of dowry harassment and unnatural death has been registered at the Suddaguntepalya police station. Praveen has been taken into custody for questioning. An Assistant Police Commissioner is monitoring the investigation. Shilpa's body has been handed over to her family after the postmortem.
Greater Noida dowry death
Earlier, on August 1, a woman named Nikki Bhati was killed after allegedly being set ablaze by her husband and in-laws over a dowry dispute. However, the case has taken several twists, as the family of the accused has claimed that the victim died from a self-inflicted injury, stating she set herself on fire. They also claimed that no one from their family was home when the incident occurred. Police are currently investigating the case. (Reported by Raghavan)
