Hyderabad man gets lifer for killing wife for additional dowry

HYDERABAD: A man in Hyderabad was sentenced to life in prison for murdering his wife for additional dowry. Navya Jyoti, 30, was married to Ghanapuram Shiva Kumar, 30, in an arranged marriage four years ago.

Samala Rajaratnam, 47, of Baswapuram Village in Bhongir Mandal, filed a complaint at Rajapet police station on January 2, 2015, against her son-in-law Shiva Kumar for dowry harrassment six months after their marriage.

The deceased's father told police that he had paid Rs 5 lakhs in cash, 10 tulas in gold, and other items as dowry for his daughter's marriage.

According to the father, the accused Shiva Kumar began harassing his wife Navya for additional dowry and demanded a motor cycle, which the complainant finally agreed to, and urged the accused not to harass his daughter Navya.

However, Shiva Kumar ignored his words and continued to torture his wife, demanding more dowry after discovering that the complainant would receive government compensation for drowned agricultural lands in the Pranahita- Chevella 16th stage package project.

The complainant, with the assistance of other villagers, held a panchayat twice and asked the accused not to harass his daughter and assured him that he would pay the sum as soon as the amount was received from the government.

The accused, Shiva Kumar, demanded an additional dowry of Rs 1 lakh to pay for the allotment of a flat in Rajiv Gruha Kalpa and threatened to harass his wife till he received the Rs 1 lakh.

Shiva Kumar strangled his wife's neck and set her on fire and fabricating the scene as if she had committed suicide on January 6, 2015.

 Based on the complaint, a case was filed at Rajapet PS, and during the inquiry, the investigating officer S. Mohan Reddy SDPO, Bhongir, apprehended and remanded the accused to judicial custody. A charge sheet was filed after the completion of the investigation.

On August 22, 2022, Principal District and Sessions Judge Bhongir V. Bala Bhaskara Rao convicted the accused Ghanapuram Shiva Kumar and sentenced him to life in prison and a fine of Rs 3,000.