Woman brutally murdered by in-laws for not having children

Belagavi: In a horrifying case of domestic violence and suspected honour killing, a 27-year-old woman was brutally murdered by her in-laws in Malabadi village of Athani taluk. The crime is believed to have been motivated by the fact that the woman had not borne any children.

The deceased has been identified as Renuka Santosh Honakande (27). According to police reports, Renuka was allegedly murdered on Saturday by her husband Santosh Honakande, father-in-law Kamanna Honakande, and mother-in-law Jayashree Honakande. All three accused have been arrested and produced before a local court.

Belagavi SP Bhimashankar Guled briefed the media, stating that on the evening of May 17, around 8 pm, Kamanna and Jayashree took Renuka on their two-wheeler under the pretense of going somewhere. Near Malabadi village, they allegedly forced her off the vehicle, bludgeoned her head with a stone, and strangled her with a saree.

To cover up the murder, the accused reportedly attempted to stage the scene as a road accident. They dragged the body nearly 120 feet away from the original spot to make it appear that she had fallen from the bike and died due to the impact, SP Guled said.

During the investigation, police discovered that the murder had been planned in advance. Evidence pointed to the involvement of Renuka’s husband Santosh, who allegedly instigated the crime due to frustration over not having children.

All three accused have been booked under relevant sections of the IPC and remanded to judicial custody. A case has been registered at the Athani Police Station, and further investigation is underway.