Pregnant woman found dead under mysterious circumstances; dowry murder alleged

A pregnant woman was found dead under mysterious circumstances in Beheraguda village under Semiliguda police station of Koraput district on Friday night. Despite her pregnancy, her husband and in-laws demanded more dowry, as per the serious allegations brought forward by her family members.

Sources reported that the deceased, identified as Rachana Sahu, had married a man named Anil, from the village, in March 2024. However, she was constantly harassed and under pressure from her in-laws for dowry, as per allegations levied by her father. Relatives of the deceased woman also corroborated the allegations and claimed that her in-laws had demanded a large sum of money from them as dowry but allegedly killed her after their demands were not heeded.

“They initially demanded a sum of Rs 5 lakh as dowry. We could not afford that much but still paid them Rs 2 lakh and had requested time to pay the remaining amount,” alleged a relative of Rachana Sahu.  Family members further reported signs of injuries and wounds around the neck and insisted that she was killed by her in-laws.

ALSO READ: Woman found hanging in Bhubaneswar apartment; family brings murder charges against husband

“I saw bruises on my sister’s neck and noticed that her nose was bleeding. Moreover, her in-laws are all reporting different angles that led to her death. It is a case of blatant murder,” alleged the deceased’s brother.

On the other hand, the woman’s mother-in-law refuted the claims and alleged that Sahu died by suicide.

ALSO READ: Blood-soaked body of woman found on river bank in Cuttack, murder suspected

Meanwhile, Semiliguda police reached the scene, seized the body, and detained Sahu’s husband for questioning. A case of possible murder was also registered and an investigation is currently underway. However, no comments from the authorities could be obtained in this regard.