Panvel resident accused of killing wife for dowry

A murder case registered in Telangana against a Panvel resident for allegedly killing his pregnant wife for dowry was transferred to the Panvel police on Saturday.

Devgat Narya Mukunda Nayak, a resident of Koyalkonda in Mehboobnagar of Telangana, has accused his son-in-law Mudavat Ramu alias Ramulu Venkatesh (26) of killing his daughter Bharati (21) in December and claiming that she died of ill health. The couple lived in Karanjada village in Panvel.

As per the complaint, Mr. Venkatesh called Mr. Nayak on the evening of December 6, 2017, and threatened to kill Bharati if he did not pay him dowry. The next morning, he called Mr. Nayak and told him Bharati had fallen ill and died. He transported her body to the village in Telangana and placed it before Bharati’s parents’ house.

“The family later noticed a mark around Bharati’s neck and suspecting foul play, got a post mortem examination done. The report said the death was due to hanging, hence the family filed a case. We will investigate and if there is enough evidence, the accused will be arrested,” senior police inspector Vinod Chavan from the Panvel City police station said. At the time of her death, Bharati was six months pregnant, and hence her parents believe it cannot be a case of suicide.

“Last Diwali, when the couple had gone to the village, Mr. Venkatesh had harassed Bharati and demanded four tola gold, ₹1.5 lakh in cash and a bike as dowry. He set her clothes on fire, after which Mr. Nayak agreed to meet the demands in six months,” an official said.

The case against Mr. Venkatesh has been registered under Sections 302 (murder), 304-B (dowry death) and 201 (causing disappearance of evidence of offence) of the Indian Penal Code.