Vijayanagar, 22 June

A 25-year-old newlywed woman was allegedly murdered by her police constable husband and his family for dowry at Guledahatti Tanda in Davangere’s Harapanahalli taluk, with the victim's mother claiming she witnessed the killing.

Kaushalya, wife of Shivakumar Nayak and a native of Yeraballi Tanda, was found hanging at her home.

Her mother, Jayabai, filed a complaint at the Arasikere Police Station on Saturday alleging that Shivakumar, a constable attached to the Konanakunte Police Station in Bengaluru, along with his brother Sachin, father Sakrya Nayak and mother Sharadabai, assaulted and hanged her daughter to death. All the accused are absconding.

"Alarmed by my daughter's cries, I rushed to Guledahatti Tanda. I personally witnessed Shivakumar and his family members hanging my daughter and killing her," she alleged in her complaint.

Deputy Superintendent of Police Santosh Chouhan told Salar News that police were verifying the authenticity of the allegations and that no arrests had been made so far.

Police have registered a case under Sections 352, 80, 85, 103(1), 351(2) and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

Arasikere Police Sub-Inspector Vijayakrishna told Salar News that Kaushalya and Shivakumar married on 15 March this year, and her family allegedly gave 13 tolas of gold and Rs 3.5 lakh as dowry. Jayabai alleged her daughter was later harassed for additional dowry and over suspicions regarding her character.