2 married sisters found dead with 2 minor children; family alleges dowry death

The two sisters were married to two brothers of a family in 2015 and they had one child each. The incident took place when the women’s husbands were off to Saudi Arabia for work

JAIPUR: Two married sisters along with their two minor children were found dead at their in-laws’ place on Saturday in Nuwa village in Rajasthan’s Deedwana while their family termed the incident as murder by their in-laws over demand for dowry, said an official familiar with the matter.

Police said they have rounded up seven people including the victims’ mother-in-law based on a first information report lodged by their father. (Representative Image)

“The incident took place when the women’s husbands were off to Saudi Arabia for work. Prima facie it is a suicide case. However, we have rounded up seven people including the victims’ mother-in-law based on a first information report (FIR) lodged by their father. Further investigation is underway,” said deputy police superintendent in Deedwana, Dharmendra Poonia.

According to police, the Sikar-based victims, identified as Nazia (32) and Sazia Bano (30) are two sisters who got married to two brothers of a family-- Salauddin Ali and Liyakat Ali-- in 2015. They had one child each--Kanishka (7) and Abir (4), who were also found dead on Saturday.

“However, their in-laws, including their mother-in-law, and husbands had started torturing them after a few years of the marriage demanding more dowry,” said Poonia as per the father’s allegation, adding that Salauddin and Liyakat had also sent a divorce notice a month ago.

The victim’s father, in the FIR, said that ₹50,000 was later paid to their mother-in-law Mangez Bano last year hoping that would end their further demands. “Yet, they drove the victims out of their house around 10 months ago. The matter also went to the local Malasar police who convinced the family to take them back,” said the officer.

He also added that a case against Mangez and two husbands of the victims were also filed in Sikar’s Dhod police station after they were driven out of their home again last December following the divorce notice. “However, the local police along with the panchayat had another meeting with both the victims’ family and in-laws. Despite threatening them initially to kill the victims, they later agreed to take the sisters back home in Deedwana,” said Poonia.

On Wednesday, the victims’ brother Ashfaq dropped them off at their in-laws’ place and they were also in regular touch with both sisters till Thursday. “However, the victim’s father said that in the last phone call on Thursday they further reported that all their relatives on the in-laws’ side gathered in the evening and were planning something,” said the officer quoting the father’s account.

However, the family asked a neighbour of their daughters in Deedwana to check them on Friday when they did not respond to their several calls. “When the neighbors told them that nobody responded despite several knocks, Ashfaq reached the spot, entered the house by breaking door, and found them hanging from the ceiling,” said the DSP.

A case was filed against multiple persons from the in-laws’ side under Section 302 (murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) based on the father’s complaint. Police have so far detained seven people, identified as Shaukat Khan, Aladin Khan, Muhammed Khan, Jameel Khan, Ayuub Khan, Govind Meghwal, and Mangez Bano for questioning.

Poonia said, “Prima facie it is a suicide case as it seems impossible to murder four people by Mangez who stays with a minor boy and her husband at another portion of the building. The boy is 14 years old and her husband is mentally unstable. However, the fact will be ascertained once the autopsy report arrives.”

“The bodies were sent for the autopsy in the local district hospital. Further investigation is underway,” he said.