Chennai, June 14: A 27-year-old MBA graduate hanged herself at her residence in Virugambakkam on Friday afternoon, allegedly due to dowry harassment. The
body of Geetha Arthi, a resident of Mahalingapuram, Nungambakkam, was sent to the government hospital in Royapettah for autopsy.
According to Geetha’s uncle R Ranjith, working as a transport manager in a well-known private company, she had met Stephen alias Sarathkumar when she was studying for her MBA degree in a private college here. He was then running a private financing business for television serial producers (now works as a manager in a private life insurance company). “After falling in love, the couple got married in November 2007. However, just before the marriage, Stephen’s father C P Jai and mother Savithri demanded Rs five lakh in cash and 75 sovereigns of gold jewellery as dowry. We agreed to give Rs two lakh and gold jewellery, and the marriage was conducted in a grand manner.”
Trouble for Geetha began when her in-laws pestered her for the remaining Rs three lakh. Her father A Narayanasamy, running an automobile spare parts shop on North Usman Road, gave Rs one lakh to Stephen. “Meanwhile, Stephen forced his wife to register a flat in Saidapet owned by her father in his name. They tortured her several times, asking her to buy food from a tiffin shop located close to a wine shop opposite their house. We pacified her whenever she complained against such treatment,” Ranjith explained.
“On Friday at 2pm, we received a call from Geetha’s in-laws who claimed that she had committed suicide by hanging. They did not respond properly,” said Narayanansamy. Based on his complaint, Virugambakkam police registered a case and are investigating.
“We have registered a case under Section 174 iii (death of a woman within seven years of her marriage) of the CrPC. The petition has been forwarded for the revenue divisional officer’s enquiry. It is a clear case of suicide. If the RDO reports any findings against her in-laws and husband, about causing her death due to dowry harassment, we will take action,” assistant commissioner of police (Vadapalani) P Manoharan told The Times of India.
–Agencies