Two days after a newlywed woman was found dead at her in-laws’ home in Palode in Thiruvananthapuram district, her husband and his friend have been arrested by the police on charges of abetting her suicide, physical and mental harassment and domestic violence, police said.
The arrested were identified as Abhijith Devan DP (25) and his friend Ajas TA (26).
A senior officer of the Palode police said: “The woman, a nurse, had died by suicide on December 6 at her husband’s home in Palode. While we initially registered a case of unnatural death, on probing further, we found that there were frequent arguments between Abhijith and his wife during which he made severe criticism of her family and friends.”
“There is evidence of Abhijith and his friend Ajas subjecting the victim to severe physical and mental harassment, propelling her to die by suicide,” the officer said.
Police said while the woman belonged to the tribal community, her husband is an upper-caste man. Though it was a love marriage, the caste differences sparked friction between them, the officer added.
The officer said the deceased had injuries on her body indicating assault at the time of inquest. The accused had also deleted WhatsApp chats and other messages from their phones
{{/usCountry}}The officer said the deceased had injuries on her body indicating assault at the time of inquest. The accused had also deleted WhatsApp chats and other messages from their phones
{{/usCountry}}“The accused have been booked for abetment to suicide, causing bodily harm, domestic violence, destruction of evidence and relevant sections under the SC/ST atrocities act,” the officer said.