

BERHAMPUR: Sadar police on Wednesday arrested a couple for allegedly abetting the suicide of their daughter.
Berhampur SP Saravana Vivek M said the 20-year-old girl of Kukudahandi village set herself ablaze on October 7 and was rushed to MKCG medical college and hospital. In her statement to police recorded in presence of a doctor before her death, the girl stated her father and step-mother used to tortured her and it forced her to take the extreme step. The girl died at 7 am the next day.
Basing on a report filed by Dr Jitendra Kumar Sahoo of the hospital, an unnatural death case (29) was registered and SI Prafulla Kumar Sahoo assigned the task of investigating it. During probe, it came to fore that the mother of the girl had passed away 19 years ago when the latter was just one-and-a-half years old.
The girl’s father married again. The girl who was a Plus III final year student was harassed and abused by her father and step-mother. On the night of October 6, the girl’s father scolded her when she asked him for her examination fees. He reportedly gave her `500 and asked her to leave. The girl could not take it and bought a bottle of petrol and used it to set herself ablaze. A case under section 108/3(5) of BNS was registered and the accused arrested, the SP said.