Newly wed woman ‘beaten to death’ over dowry; husband, father-in-law arrested

A newly married woman was allegedly beaten to death by her in-laws at Jhumpudia village in Dhenkanal district over dowry.

The victim has been identified as Lakhmipriya Patnaik, a resident of Puruna Patanda village under Athagarh police station in Cuttack district.

The deceased’s husband Debi Prasad Mohanty and father-in-law were arrested and forwarded to court in connection with the case.

According to sources, Lakhmipriya had tied the nuptial knot with Debi Prasad as per the Hindu rituals on March 11, 2023. As per her in-laws, she was recently admitted to a medical due to illness. However, doctors declared her brought dead.

Following the incident, Lakhmipriya’s father Pradeep Patnaik and other family members lodged a complaint at Bhapur police station alleging that Lakhmipriya has been murdered for dowry.

As per the complaint, the in-laws of the deceased were demanding more dowry of Rs 2 lakh. They have beaten her to death when their demands were not fulfilled.

“Even one month has not been completed following my daughter’s marriage. The in-laws have beaten her to death demanding more dowries,” said the deceased’s father Pradeep Patnaik.

“I had given them Rs 1 lakh as dowry. They were demanding Rs 2 lakh more. I had promised them to give the amount by selling my land. However, they didn’t have the patience. They thrashed my daughter mercilessly to death,” he added.

Based on the complaint, the deceased’s husband and father-in-law were arrested.

“A dowry-related murder case has been registered at Bhapur police station. The deceased’s husband and father-in-law have been arrested and forwarded to court. The dowry property will be seized tomorrow. Further investigation into the incident is currently underway,” said Dhenkanal SDPO Suryamani Pradhan.