Madurai: A four-month pregnant woman was discovered hanging at her husband's residence in Tiruppathur, with her family alleging dowry harassment and suspecting foul play. Police registered a case of unnatural death on Wednesday.
The deceased was identified as Afrin, 25. According to police, the woman's mother, S Fatima Beevi, filed a complaint with the Sivaganga superintendent of police, alleging that Afrin had faced physical and mental harassment after her marriage to Mohammed Ashraf in January 2026.
In her complaint, Beevi said the family had promised 25 sovereigns of gold at the time of marriage but could not provide 5.5 sovereigns due to financial constraints. She alleged that Ashraf and his family had repeatedly demanded the balance gold and tortured Afrin.
She said Afrin had also complained about Ashraf's alleged affairs, leading to disputes. Ten days before her death, the family pledged jewels and gave some money to Ashraf's family, the complaint said.
On June 16 around 8pm, Afrin called her mother and said she could no longer bear the harassment. Around 8am the next day, she spoke to the family and showed no signs of intending suicide, the complaint said. Around 9am, Ashraf informed the family that Afrin had locked herself inside a room. Beevi alleged that when they reached the house, the door was locked from outside and Afrin was found hanging from the ceiling with a sari. She also claimed there were injury marks on Afrin's shoulder and sought action against Ashraf and his family.
Since the death occurred within seven years of marriage and is a suspected case of suicide, a revenue divisional officer will conduct an inquiry, police said.
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