‘Harassed for dowry’, teen found hanging 2 months after marriage

Ludhiana: Barely two months after marriage, a 19-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide, owing to suspected harassment by her husband and in-laws for dowry. She was found hanging at her husband's home in Kanganwal area of Sahnewal.The deceased was identified as Simmi. Simmi's father Mohinder told police that his daughter was being physically and mentally tortured and abused by her husband and in-laws right from the early days of their marriage. They were constantly pressuring her for more dowry, and whenever their demands were not met, they assaulted her and subjected her to abuse, he alleged.The deceased's elder sister, Pammi, said she received a distressing phone call from the in-laws, saying that she hanged herself from the ceiling fan in her room. However, the victim's family strongly rejected the suicide claim, alleging that she was killed and then hanged to make it appear as suicide.ASI Ram Murti, who is investigating the case, said an FIR under sections 80 (dowry death) and 61(2) (criminal conspiracy) of BNS has been filed against the woman's husband Kaushal Pandit, father-in-law Mahinder Pandit, mother-in-law Usha Devi, and a relative Neeraj Pandit. The accused are yet to be arrested.