KOLLAM: Thekkumbhagam police have registered a case against Sasthamcotta native Satheesh Sankar following the suspected suicide of his wife, Athulya, 35, in Sharjah. She was found hanging in her apartment in Rolla on Friday.
Preliminary investigations suggest that Athulya may have taken her life after allegedly enduring years of domestic abuse. Her mother, Thulasi Bai, filed a complaint with Thekkumbhagam police, accusing Satheesh of physically and mentally torturing her daughter, especially after consuming alcohol. Athulya had reportedly approached the Sharjah police in the past with complaints of abuse.
The police report stated that the abuse began shortly after the couple married in February 2014. Satheesh allegedly harassed Athulya over dowry, repeatedly claiming that she had brought less gold than promised. The complaint also details a violent assault that took place just two days before her death -- Satheesh is said to have hit Athulya on the head with a plate and grabbed her by the neck at around 2.47 am on July 19 in their Dubai residence.
Based on the complaint, Satheesh has been booked under multiple sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS). These include Section 85 (abetment of suicide of a woman), Section 115(2) (voluntarily causing grievous hurt using a dangerous weapon), Section 118(1) (wrongful restraint or confinement), and Section 103(1) (cruelty by husband or his relatives). He also faces charges under Section 3 and Section 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, which penalise both the giving/taking of dowry and its unlawful demand.
This case comes close on the heels of another suspected dowry-related suicide reported in Sharjah earlier this month. Vipanchika, a Kollam native who had been living and working in the UAE for seven years, was found dead along with her young daughter in their residence. Her family alleged that she faced regular domestic violence at the hands of her in laws, who continued to demand more dowry.