BALLIA: A local court has sentenced five members of a family, including the husband and in-laws, to 10 years' imprisonment for killing a woman over dowry demands two years ago, officials said on Saturday.
District government counsel Sanjeev Singh said the court of District Judge Anil Kumar Jha on Friday held the accused guilty of killing Anita Devi over demands for a washing machine and Rs 1 lakh.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs 75,000 on each of the convicts.
According to the prosecution, the body of Anita Devi was found hanging at her in-laws' house at Chandi Sarai Sambhal village in Ballia district on March 14, 2024.
The victim's mother, Savitri Devi, lodged a complaint alleging that Anita was being harassed for dowry ever since her marriage to Sonu on November 24, 2022.
The complainant also alleged that Sonu was in an illicit relationship with a relative, and when Anita protested, she was threatened and eventually murdered.
Based on the complaint, police registered a case against Anita's husband Sonu, father-in-law Dashrath, mother-in-law Tetri Devi, and sisters-in-law Priyanka and Vandana.
After completing the investigation, police filed a chargesheet against all five accused, leading to their conviction and sentencing by the court, Singh said.