"She looked like a bag of bones," the police said. (Representational)
Highlights
- Woman allegedly starved to death by husband, mother-in-law over dowry
- Survived on soaked rice, sugar syrup for days: police
- Feared for her life so didn't file police complaint, her mother said
A 27-year-old woman in Kerala's Karunagappally was allegedly starved to death by her husband and mother-in-law for dowry. For days, she survived only on soaked rice and sugar syrup and weighed only 20 kg when she died last week, the police said today.
Her husband and mother-in-law have been arrested.
"She looked like a bag of bones. A detailed inquiry has thrown light on the cruelty she was subjected to. Her relatives alleged that she was tortured for dowry," a police official told news agency PTI.
The woman's mother alleged the accused had been torturing her for the past five years and had not allowed the family members to meet her for one year. "We did not file any police complaint as we feared it would put her life in danger," she said.
Police said the woman's husband used to do odd jobs. The couple married in 2013. At the time of marriage, the woman's family had given her in-laws some gold ornaments and money. They had promised to give more.
The woman had two children.