‘Kicked in abdomen repeatedly’: UP man booked for killing unborn children over dowry demands

BHADOHI: A woman’s husband and two in-laws have been booked for allegedly killing her unborn children on two occasions by assaulting her over dowry demands during her pregnancies, police said on Sunday.According to news agency PTI, the case was registered against the three accused at Gopiganj police station based on a written complaint filed by the woman, Aradhana Shukla, during a ‘Jan Sunvai’ programme held on Saturday.The accused have been identified as the woman’s husband Abhinesh Shukla, her mother-in-law Geeta Devi, and her brother-in-law Pradeep Shukla. They have been booked under Sections 91 (act done with intent to prevent a child from being born alive or to cause it to die after birth), 85 (husband or relative of husband subjecting a woman to cruelty), 351(3) (criminal intimidation) and 115(2) (voluntarily causing hurt) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), along with provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act, police said.Superintendent of police (SP) Abhinav Tyagi said Aradhana, a resident of Gudripur under Gopiganj police station area, married Abhinesh, a resident of Bhanupur Siyarha village, on May 21, 2022.It is alleged that despite receiving substantial dowry at the time of marriage, the accused continued to demand an additional Rs 10 lakh. When the demand was not fulfilled, they allegedly began subjecting Aradhana to constant harassment, the officer said.According to the complaint, when Aradhana was eight months pregnant, her husband repeatedly kicked her in the abdomen. As her condition worsened, she was sent back to her maternal home. She was later hospitalised, and her unborn child died in the womb.Following the intervention of relatives, Abhinesh later took Aradhana to Delhi, where his mother and elder brother reside.During her second pregnancy, Aradhana was again allegedly assaulted by Abhinesh on September 20, 2025, over dowry demands. She was around two months pregnant at the time and was once again kicked in the abdomen, the SP said.On the same day, Abhinesh brought her back to Bhadohi from Delhi despite her deteriorating condition, the officer added.On September 21, 2025, Abhinesh brutally assaulted Aradhana at a secluded spot at Gyanpur Road railway station. Leaving his blood-soaked wife behind, he fled after threatening her that if she returned without Rs 10 lakh, she would be burnt to death, Tyagi said.Aradhana managed to inform her family, who subsequently took her to the hospital. She suffered a second miscarriage, he said.The SP also said the woman has alleged that she had attempted to lodge an FIR at the Mahila Police Station and Gopiganj Police Station in January this year, but no action was taken.He added that a case has now been registered and a search operation is underway to trace the accused.(With agency inputs)