Belagavi: A 27-year-old woman was “strangled to death” by her in-laws, who then attempted to pass it off as an accident to mislead investigators, police said on Tuesday.
The incident occurred on May 17 in Malabad village of Athani taluk, Belagavi district, they added.
The deceased, Renuka, was married to Santosh Honakande, a software engineer.
Santosh, his father Kamanna, and mother Jayashree have all been arrested in connection with the murder, police said.
According to the investigation, Renuka was unable to conceive, following which Santosh married another woman who is now pregnant.
Despite being asked to leave, Renuka continued to live in the same house. Her in-laws and husband allegedly conspired to kill her.
Terming it a “ghastly incident,” Belagavi Superintendent of Police (SP) Bheemashankar Guled said the police initially received a call from the father-in-law claiming that Renuka had died in a road accident.
Kamanna told police that he was riding a motorcycle, with his wife Jayashree as the first pillion rider and Renuka as the second.
Renuka had been married to their son Santosh for five years. Unable to conceive due to a health condition, she remained in the house even after Santosh’s second marriage. This led to ongoing pressure and, eventually, her murder, Guled said.
Police grew suspicious upon reaching the scene and moved Renuka’s body to a hospital. Early Sunday morning, they began an investigation and summoned Kamanna for questioning.
“During interrogation, Kamanna failed to give logical answers, raising suspicions. Eventually, he confessed to strangling Renuka,” Guled said.
Explaining the sequence of events, the SP said Renuka had gone to a temple on Saturday evening.
Her in-laws picked her up on a motorcycle. After travelling a short distance, they allegedly pushed her off the vehicle. When she survived the fall, they strangled her.
“They then tied her to the motorcycle using her saree and dragged her for about 120 feet to stage it as an accident,” Guled said.
Within six hours, police confirmed it was a murder. All three accused—the husband, father-in-law, and mother-in-law—were arrested and remanded in judicial custody. The husband was also part of the conspiracy, and there were reports of dowry demands, the SP added.
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