Married woman found dead in West Champaran, one held

Bettiah: A married woman, Pinki Devi, was found dead under suspicious circumstances inside her room at Dhanarpa village in Ramnagar police station area of Bagaha police district in West Champaran on Saturday.

Police have arrested her father-in-law Harlal Raut and launched a manhunt to nab others, including her husband and mother-in-law, allegedly involved in the killing.


Ramnagar SDPO Ragini Kumari said police reached the spot after they received a call on ‘Dial-112’ from the woman’s father Rajesh Raut. “The door of the house was bolted. After breaking open the door, the woman’s body was found on the bed. Prima facie, the death appears to be suspicious,” she said.

The SDPO added that further legal action will be taken based on the postmortem and forensic science laboratory (FSL) reports. Raids are underway to arrest other absconding accused.

The victim’s father, Rajesh Raut, alleged that his daughter was married around 11 months ago. He claimed that despite giving dowry, her in-laws began pressuring her for a motorcycle a few months after the marriage. “When the demand was not met, she was harassed and ultimately killed,” he alleged.

He said when his daughter did not answer his phone calls on Saturday, he grew suspicious and rushed to her residence. “The main door was locked from outside. When the police opened it, my daughter was found dead. There were injury marks on her neck,” he alleged.