A woman and her three daughters tragically died by suicide in Haryana, India, with allegations of dowry harassment and pressure to bear a son prompting a police investigation into the family's in-laws.
Key Points
- A woman and her three daughters died by suicide in a well in Haryana's Nuh district.
- The woman's family alleges dowry harassment and mistreatment for not having a son led to the tragic event.
- Police have registered a murder case against the woman's husband and in-laws based on the complaint.
- The bodies were recovered from the well after a rescue operation involving police, fire brigade, and villagers.
- The investigation is ongoing, and authorities plan to arrest the accused soon in connection with the alleged dowry harassment and suicide.
A 28-year-old woman allegedly committed suicide along with her three daughters by jumping into a well in a village in Haryana's Nuh district on Monday, police said.
The deceased woman's father, Hanif, in his complaint, alleged that his daughter took the extreme step due to her in-laws, who tortured her not only over dowry, but also for not having a son, police said.
Acting on his complaint, the police have registered a murder case against the woman's husband and four in-laws, Ferozpur Jhirka SHO Subhash Chand said, adding that the bodies have been sent for postmortem.
Upon receiving the information on Monday morning, police and fire brigade teams reached the spot and, with the help of the villagers, pulled out the bodies.
The police identified the deceased woman as Shahila, 28, and her daughters -- Aksa, 7, Sanofia, 4, and a 6-month-old baby -- residents of Badopur village.
A six-month-old girl was found tied to the back of the woman, they added.
According to locals, Shahila, along with her daughters, was seen going towards the village well in the wee hours of Monday.
Upon hearing the noise, villagers gathered at the scene, and since the well was very deep and filled with water, no one dared to go down.
After some time, the police and fire brigade team arrived at the spot and started a rescue operation.
The bodies of two girls were pulled out first, and later, the team extracted the bodies of Shahila and her third daughter, they added.
According to the villagers, the well is approximately 70 feet deep, which caused difficulties in the rescue operation.
When the woman's body was finally recovered, her daughter was found tied to her back, the sight of which brought tears to the eyes of the rescuers.
According to the neighbours, Shahila and her husband, Shahid, were in constant fighting.
The woman had given all her jewellery to her father, Hanif, causing frequent fights between her and her husband. Because of this, she had returned from her parents' house just a few days ago.
On Sunday evening, there was again an altercation between Shahila and her husband.
The investigation into the matter is underway, and the accused will be arrested soon, the SHO said.
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