TIRUVANNAMALAI: A 25-year-old woman died by suicide in Vadaantapattu village in Tiruvannamalai on Saturday in a suspected case of dowry death.
According to Mangalam police, the incident happened on Saturday night, when the deceased, Mahalakshmi, was taken to the Tiruvannamalai Government Medical College Hospital, where she was allegedly declared brought dead.
Mahalakshmi married Arun three years ago and they have a two-year-old daughter. Arun works as a technician on a ship in Germany. On Sunday, Mahalakshmi’s father, Mahalingam, a constable at the TN Special Police Sixth Battalion in Madurai, filed a complaint at the Mangalam police station, stating that she was tortured by her mother-in-law demanding dowry, which resulted in her death.
The Mangalam police have registered a case under Section 194 (3) of BNS, pertaining to death of a woman by suicide within seven years of marriage. In such cases, the revenue divisional officer (RDO) should conduct an inquiry to determine if any dowry harassment by husband or in-laws is the reason for the woman’s death.
Speaking to TNIE, Mangalam Inspector confirmed that Mahalingam had filed a complaint of dowry torture initially. However, he said, later both the families came to a compromise and conducted the funeral together.