Newly-wed woman murdered over dowry, husband’s family stages it as suicide for not getting Bullet motorcycle in UP

In a tragic incident, a 22-year-old newlywed woman named Sapna was found dead at her in-laws’ house in Uttar Pradesh’s Kotwa village, under the Maniyar police station area. The police said her body was discovered hanging from a ceiling fan, suggesting that it may have been staged to look like suicide.

According to Maniyar SHO Ratnesh Dubey, the police reached the house as soon as they got the information. Sapna’s body was taken into custody and sent for post-mortem at the district hospital to find out the exact cause of death.

Sapna had married Narendra Chauhan on March 2, 2025.

The police filed a case based on a complaint made by Sapna’s maternal grandfather, Babbu Chauhan. In the complaint, he said that Sapna’s in-laws had been harassing her for more dowry, even after receiving a significant amount at the time of the wedding.

He claimed that Sapna’s family had already given Rs 90,000 through bank transfer, Rs 3 lakh in cash, a gold chain, and a ring as dowry. But still, the harassment didn’t stop. Her in-laws allegedly began demanding a Bullet motorcycle and another Rs 3 lakh.

When Sapna’s family couldn’t meet these demands, the situation got worse. Her grandfather believes she was murdered, and her death was made to look like suicide by hanging her with a dupatta from a fan hook.

Based on the complaint, the police registered a case under various sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) and the Dowry Prohibition Act. The case names her husband Narendra Chauhan, his sister Champa Devi, and two sisters-in-law Puja Devi and Reena Devi.

The three women were arrested and have been sent to judicial custody after completing all legal procedures. The police are still trying to find and arrest Sapna’s husband, who is currently missing.

(With PTI inputs)

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