Karnataka: Man booked for dowry harassment

MANGALURU: A woman has accused her husband — whom she had married through a matrimonial site — of cheating and harassing mentally and physically.
The complainant Shama Shetty, a resident of Ajri in Kundapur, told police that the accused Shankara R Bhavani married her at a temple in Kamalashile on December 7, 2020, without disclosing about his 10-year-old daughter from his first marriage.
The accused had informed the complainant that he had obtained divorce from the first wife legally. However, he had hidden the details of a daughter from the previous marriage. Police said Shama came to know about her husband’s 10-year-old daughter only after Bhavani took her to his house at Hemavati Nagar in Hassan.
Relatives also harassed her
The accused allegedly started harassing Shama for questioning him. His relatives Deviramma alias Saroja and Souwmya Shivashankara harassed the complainant mentally. Further, they tortured Shama for money and threatened to go for divorce.
Later, Bhavani took Shama to America on June 10, 2021, and continued to harass her mentally and physically. On November 22, 2021, they returned to Hassan. On April 18, 2022, Bhavani left for America, leaving his wife in Hassan.
Shama returned to her hometown in Kundapur, after leaving valuables, including gold ornaments, silver items and ancient coins at her in-law’s place. On October 17, 2022, She came to know that Bhavani and another accused had carried out transactions to the tune of Rs 4 crore from her account.
Shankaranarayana police have registered a case under sections 4, 6 of the Dowry Prevention Act, sections 498(A), 504, 506, 420 and 34 of the IPC against Shankara R Bhavani and others.