Kerala doctor arrested for 28-yr-old woman’s suicide after dowry demand: Police
Health Minister Veena George said the doctor has been suspended by the health department and a probe ordered
KOCHI: A Thiruvananthapuram doctor was arrested in connection with the death of a postgraduate medical student who died by suicide after their wedding was cancelled allegedly over dowry demands, police said on Thursday.
The 28-year-old woman’s family told the police that she was devastated after Dr EA Ruwais called off their wedding following their inability to meet their dowry demand. Police said the woman, who died at home on Tuesday, left behind a note that talked about how money triumphs over everything.
Police said Dr Ruwais, a principal doctor at the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College and a state committee member of the Kerala Medical Postgraduates Association (KMPGA), was taken into custody from a relative’s home in Karunagappally in Kollam district late Wednesday.
Police said the doctor was arrested on charges of abetment to suicide and the Dowry Prohibition Act 1961.
Health Minister Veena George said the doctor has been suspended by the health department and a probe ordered by the director of the women and child welfare department.
Ruwais has also been suspended from KMPGA.
“This is a serious issue and incidents like this are not acceptable at all,” Veena George said in a post on Facebook.
The woman’s family and friends said that she was in a relationship with the doctor and they decided to get married. At some point, however, the doctor and his family had alleged to have demanded 150 sovereigns of gold (worth over ₹60 lakh), immovable property and a car.
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