A 33-year-old woman was discovered dead under suspicious circumstances at her in-laws' residence in the Phulwarisharif police station area of Patna early Monday. The victim, identified as Monica Kumari, was a resident of Rai Chowk.
Incident Details
Her parents have alleged that she was murdered for dowry. Following a complaint lodged by the victim's family, police have detained four people, including her husband Jitendra Kumar (40), father-in-law Jagdish Yadav, mother-in-law Kanti Devi, and sister-in-law Meena Kumari for questioning.
Sub-divisional police officer (SDPO)-I of Phulwarisharif, Sushil Kumar, stated that the police received information around 2:30 am that a woman had allegedly died by suicide. A police team immediately rushed to the spot. A forensic science laboratory (FSL) team was also called to collect evidence. The body has been sent to AIIMS-Patna for post-mortem examination.
Allegations and Claims
The victim's family has accused the in-laws of murder, alleging dowry harassment. A case will be registered based on the complaint, and the investigation will cover all possible angles, Kumar said. The in-laws, however, claimed that Monica died by hanging and that they tried to save her after spotting her through a window.
Monica, daughter of Umesh Prasad Yadav from the Golghar area, had married Jitendra on November 19, 2017. Her father alleged that soon after the marriage, her husband and his family began demanding a gold chain as dowry. He claimed the harassment increased after Jitendra lost his job.
Investigation Ongoing
The family grew suspicious when they found Monica's body lying on a bed instead of hanging, as claimed. They accused the in-laws of killing her and attempting to project it as suicide. Further investigation is underway, the SDPO said.
