Poster on dowry harassment pops up, Coimbatore police initiate probe

COIMBATORE: A poster stating that a Gandhipuram resident has been booked in a dowry harassment case created a flutter in the area. Police suspect this act to be done by members of a Chennai-based family, which got their daughter married into the Coimbatore family.

According to police sources, the victim aged 23 got married to a 24-year-old man from Coimbatore in 2018. The woman's family reportedly gave a dowry of 58 kg silver items, 2 kg gold jewellery, 66-carat diamond jewellery and gifts worth several lakhs. The situation turned worse in three months when the woman's husband and in-laws started allegedly torturing her for more dowry, In April 2020, she was sent to her parents' house for refusing to comply with their demands. When all her attempts to resolve the issue went in vain, the victim moved the Madras High Court. In her complaint, the woman stated that she was asked to settle two-fold of the dowry given during the wedding besides a car and a house. Otherwise, her husband has allegedly threatened of serving legal notice for divorce, said police sources.

Following this, the victim approached the Coimbatore Mahila Court seeking legal action against her husband and in-laws for demanding dowry. The court examined her petition and ordered the city police to register a case against her husband and his parents. The trio was booked under sections 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt), 506 (ii) (Punishment for criminal intimidation) and 498 (A) (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) on September 10. An investigation is underway.

Meanwhile, the posters' surfacing in the public domain has added fuel to the flames. Police suspect that the victim's family members could have done this to tarnish the image of the suspect's family. The posters were mainly stuck in the surrounding of a shop owned by the victim's suspect. A probe is underway, sources added.