A 21-year-old pregnant woman suffered severe injuries after she was set on fire by her mother and brother in Uttar Pradesh’s Hapur.
The woman’s family was infuriated when they found out that their unmarried daughter was pregnant, said officials.
According to a NDTV report, upon being asked about who the father of the child was, the woman did not disclose any details to them. Following this, she was taken to a forest by her mother and brother and there she was set on fire.
The woman was spotted by some farmers passing through the forest, after which she was rushed to a hospital, said police.
Reportedly the doctors referred her to a state-run hospital in Meerut. Reportedly, both her mother and brother have been detained. Officials said that they are being interrogated by the police.
The 21-year-old woman, however, is in a critical and is under treatment at the Meerut hospital.
In another incident, a 24-year-old woman was allegedly poisoned to death by her in-laws over dowry in a village in Uttar Pradesh’s Muzaffarnagar on Thursday, police said.
Station House Officer Rajeev Sharma said, “Anjali was found dead at her in-laws’ house in Wazirabad village under mysterious circumstances. Her family members have alleged that she was poisoned to death.”
Anjali was married to Shubham Kumar three years ago. Police said that her family has alleged that she was being harassed by her in-laws for dowry.
An FIR has been lodged against Shubham and his parents regarding the matter. The persons accused are on the run since morning and the police teams are trying to arrest them, the SHO said.
Meanwhile, the woman’s body has been sent for post-mortem and further investigation is underway, said police.
Previously in July, a man along with his son was arrested for allegedly setting his daughter-in-law on fire over dowry after he raped her in Uttar Pradesh’s Balia.
Circle Officer Mohammaed Usman said, “We have arrested one Shankar Dayal Chaube and his son Anand Chaube in connection with the dowry death of a 22-year-old wife of Anand Chaube.”
According to a police complaint, the two men and their other family members regularly harassed the victim for a dowry of Rs 50,000 and a gold chain.
The father-son duo doused the woman with some inflammable oil and set her on fire on June 25. A week later on July 3, she succumbed to her injuries.
The woman has recorded her statement before a magistrate in the hospital prior to her death.
(With PTI inputs)