Kerala woman, infant found dead in Sharjah; husband, in-laws booked

Kollam (Kerala) | A 32-year-old woman from Kerala and her one-year-old daughter were found dead in Sharjah recently after years of alleged dowry-related harassment, police said, adding that her husband, his sister, and their father have been named as the accused in the case.

The woman from Kottankara in this district allegedly died by suicide and her one-year-old daughter also died under tragic circumstances, raising suspicions that the child may have been killed before the mother took the extreme step.

The woman, Vipanchika, had married Nidheesh in 2020 and moved to Sharjah.

According to a complaint lodged with Kundara Police station by her mother, Shyamala, Vipanchika was regularly harassed over dowry, humiliated over her appearance, and isolated by her husband and in-laws.

Shyamala alleged that Vipanchika's hair was allegedly cut to make her look "less attractive", as she was fair-skinned while her husband and his family were dark-skinned, the complaint said.

The mother also alleged that her granddaughter, Vybhavi, just one-year-old, was physically harmed after Vipanchika opposed Nidheesh's alleged relationships with other women. A legal notice for divorce was later sent to Vipanchika.

Unable to bear the ongoing harassment, Vipanchika took the extreme step on July 8, according to the complaint.

In her complaint, Shyamala accused Nidheesh, his sister Neethu Beni, and their father of abetment to suicide.

Police said a case has been registered under Sections 85 (cruelty by a husband or his relatives towards a woman) and 108 (Abetment of suicide) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.