Three held for killing newly-wed woman in Vizag

VISAKHAPATNAM: The city police cracked the mystery behind the murder of a 23-year-old newly-wed woman and arrested three persons including her husband and the in-laws.

The accused allegedly murdered the young woman after she refused to her mother-in-law's diktat to consummate the relationship with her husband's elder brother.

S Meghana (23), daughter of a retired railway employee S Sankara Rao, was married to K Suresh Kumar of Simhapuri Colony, near Pendurthy, in the city on May 11 this year.

After the marriage, the newly-wed reportedly came to know that her husband was unfit for marital life and expressed her anger at not being informed about the same before the wedding.

This led to the differences between the couple and Meghana's mother-in-law K Venkataratnam wanted his elder son K Ganesh, a divorcee, to sire children through her.

Assistant commissioner of police (North) CM Naidu told reporters that Suresh Kumar, along with his mother and brother, started harassing Meghana for more dowry.

With Meghana not agreeing to both their demands, the trio started further harassing her. On June 14, the trio picked up a quarrel with Meghana and after the argument both Suresh and Ganesh left the house.

The police said that enraged over refusal of her proposal by Meghana, Venkataratnam attacked her with a pestle and hit her on the head. Later, she tried to smother Meghana to death using a nylon rope.

'After sometime, Meghana did not move and Venkataratnam took her for dead. To hoodwink the police, Venkataratnam tried to admit the unconscious Meghana at the Government Hospital, near Pendurthy, saying that the girl had been suffering from fever and fell unconscious due to weakness, leading to a head injury,' the police said.

However, the hospital staff refused admission on the grounds that it was a medico-legal case and advised her that she could admit the woman only after informing the police.

To avoid further trouble, Venkataratnam admitted the victim at a private nursing home in the city where Meghana succumbed to her injuries on June 18. Expressing suspicion, the girl's parents lodged a complaint with the Pendurthy police.

Inspector K Lakshmana Murthy registered a case under Section 304 B of IPC and started investigation.

A team of doctors conducted a post-mortem examination and it was established that Meghana was hit on the head with a strong object and was strangled. Based on the medical report and circumstantial evidence, the police arrested Venkataratnam and her two sons on Sunday.

On being questioned, the trio confessed the crime. The accused will be presented in court Monday.