Hyderabad: A woman, aged 28, attempted to drown her children, aged one, three, and six, before ending her life by jumping in Rajabollarum lake in Medchal. The woman allegedly took the extreme step following harassment over dowry, on Wednesday. However, the eldest child, Jagdish, survived after he managed to get out of the lake.
The police arrested her husband, Bhikshapathi, and his mother, based on a complaint filed by the woman’s father.
“The six-year-old managed to get out of the lake as the spot where his mother tried to drown him was not deep. By the time, locals jumped into the water and tried to rescue Shivaranjani and the two children, they had drowned,” said Petbasheerabad ACP, VVS Ramalingaraju.
The deceased were identified as Shivaranjani (28), Deekshit (1), and Pranathi (3).
In 2013, Shivaranjani had married Bhikshapathi, a plumber from Rajabollarum. In the police complaint, Shivaranjani’s father K. Yadagiri stated, “At the time of the wedding, we gave eight tola gold (90 grams), a bike, and household articles.”
Yadigiri further claimed that Bhikshapathi used to mentally and physically harass his daughter over additional dowry.
On the day of the incident, around 11 am Yadagiri received a call from Bhikshapathi informing him that he was physically assaulting his daughter. Yadagiri had sent his son, Praveen, to check on her but it was too late by the time he reached out for her help.
In his police complaint, Yadagiri alleged that Bhikshapathi and his mother harassed and killed his daughter. The police have booked the case under Indian Penal Code Sections 498-a (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 306 (Abetment of suicide), and 302 (Punishment for murder).
