Urmila Devi. Picture by Sachin

Patna, May 11: A middle-aged woman, married last year, died under mysterious circumstances today at her in-laws’ place with the family of the deceased alleging murder over dowry demand.

Urmila Devi alias Munni had been married to Anil Sao, a small-time businessman in February 2 last year and was harried by her husband and in-laws for dowry since then.

A resident of the Nuruddinganj area under Malsalami police station of Patna City, Indradev Sao, the father of the girl and a resident of Neora in Danapur got a call from Munni’s husband last afternoon that she had consumed insecticides.

According to the FIR lodged with the local police station by the deceased’s father, the man rushed to her in-laws place soon after the information reached him.

“The father of the woman reached the house but then he could not find anyone at home. He then called up the husband again who said that she has been admitted in a nursing home located in the Didarganj. The father went to the nursing home but again, could not find her daughter. He came back again to the same house and this time found the body of the girl. Some of her in-laws were also present,” a police officer at the Malsalami police station said.

The police said the father has accused Munni’s husband Anil, her father-in-law Mahender Sao, the mother-in-law Urmila Sao and Anil’s sisters Sunita and Anita of beating Munni to death.

“The body bears some injury marks but at this moment it is too early to state anything. The father of the woman had said in the FIR that sometime back Munni’s in-laws had pressurised her to bring Rs 20,000. The father gave in to their demand and the money was paid to them. After this, they asked for a gold chain from the woman. The father of the woman did not give in to their demand this time,” he has said in the FIR.

The police said that the in-laws are absconding.

“All of them are absconding and the police are trying to find them. Some of them have been traced and they will be arrested,” the police officer said.

Sources said the police station in the picture were hesitant in lodging the FIR of the father of the deceased since the station house officer was not present in the police station at that time.

The police, however, refuted the allegations.

“This is not true. The FIR has been lodged and investigations are on. The body has been sent for a post-mortem and things will get clear once the report comes,” a policeman at the station said.