A shocking case of alleged dowry death has come to light in city, where a 19-year-old newly-wed woman was allegedly murdered by her husband and in-laws barely four months after marriage. The Tehsil Police Station has registered a murder case and arrested the victim’s husband and brother-in-law. The arrested accused have been identified as Mohd Zuber Mohd Jalil Sheikh (31) and his elder brother Mohd Irfan (34). The victim’s father-in-law, Mohd Jalil Sheikh, has also been named in the FIR. According to police, the victim, Fazila, a resident of Amravati, had married Zuber on January 25 this year as per religious customs.

 

Her brother, Mohd Aves, later approached police alleging that Fazila was subjected to harassment and torture over dowry demands after the first month of marriage. “Initially, everything appeared normal. But later, the accused allegedly started pressuring the victim to bring money from her maternal home,” a police officer from Tehsil Police Station said. The complaint also mentions disturbing allegations against Irfan. According to the family, after Irfan’s wife became pregnant, he allegedly started looking at Fazila with bad intentions. Fazila had reportedly shared her ordeal with her brother which left the family deeply worried. On May 15, the accused allegedly called Aves and informed him that Fazila had suffered a heart attack.

 

They reportedly insisted that her last rites be performed in Amravati. Trusting them, the family took the body and completed the funeral rituals. However, suspicions grew after relatives noticed injury marks on Fazila’s face. Aves then approached the Nagpur Gate Police Station and lodged a complaint. Acting on it, police exhumed the body and conducted a post-mortem examination. “The post-mortem report confirmed death due to asphyxiation, which indicates suffocation. Based on the findings and complaint by the family, a murder case has been registered,” Sr PI Sanjay Mendhe of Tehsil police station said. Police have booked the accused for murder and dowry-related harassment. Further investigation is underway,and officers said more action may follow as additional evidence is collected.