Dowry harassment drives pregnant woman to suicide

Hyderabad: A five-month pregnant housewife Thursday committed suicide allegedly due to dowry harassment. According to police, one Yogesh from Guntur married Laxmi of Vijayawada in 2013 and were residing at Begumpet. Yogesh was a software engineer and Laxmi was an assistant clerk in the Department of Posts. Yogesh was jobless when he married Laxmi after getting a dowry of `10 lakh.

When Yogesh got a software job later, he started harassing Laxmi for additional dowry. Fed up with his torture, Laxmi filed an FIR at Begumpet women’s police station under Dowry Harassment Act. The police gave counseling to the both. But Yogesh allegedly continued harassment of his wife even after police counseling and demanded Rs 20 lakh additional dowry.

Unable to withstand torture by Yogesh, Laxmi committed suicide by hanging herself to a ceiling fan. Laxmi’s parents lodged a complaint with the police alleging that their daughter committed suicide due to harassment by her husband. The police registered a case and started investigation. But Yogesh was reportedly missing. The police launched a man-hunt for Yogesh.