A 20-year-old newlywed woman died at her husband’s home in Sherpur’s Nalitabari upazila early Wednesday, just six days after her marriage.
The deceased, Lima Akter, died at her husband’s home in Paikhatla village of Rupnarayankura union in the early hours of October 21.
Lima’s family alleged that she was tortured and killed over her in-laws’ dissatisfaction with the gifts and other items brought from her parental home for the wedding, reports Bangla Tribun.
Police detained her husband, Ekramul Haque, 22, and mother-in-law, Farida Begum, 50, for questioning.
Lima was the daughter of Saidul Islam of Majhiyail village in Dhara union of Mymensingh’s Haluaghat upazila. She married Ekramul on October 15 in a family-arranged ceremony, with the denmohor set at Tk1.7 lakh.
According to family members, Lima visited her parents’ home with her husband on Sunday and returned to her in-laws’ house on Tuesday afternoon.
Relatives said a dispute broke out between the couple after Lima’s in-laws expressed dissatisfaction with the gifts and other items brought from her parents’ home.
Lima’s family alleged that she was tortured at her in-laws’ house that night.
Around 3:00am, Ekramul called Lima’s brother-in-law, saying she had fallen ill. About an hour later, her in-laws took her to Nalitabari Upazila Health Complex, where doctors declared her dead.
Lima’s relatives said they noticed injury marks on her body at the hospital and informed police.
Police went to the hospital, took custody of the body and sent it for the necessary legal procedures.
Dr Fahad Rahman, resident medical officer at Nalitabari Upazila Health Complex, said Lima had died before she was brought to the hospital.
Lima’s relatives alleged that the dispute over the gifts escalated and that she was physically assaulted and strangled to death.
However, the exact cause of her death has not yet been established and will be determined through investigation and autopsy.
Ekramul, however, denied the allegations.
He said he went to sleep at night and woke up to find the door of their room open. He then went outside and found Lima hanging by her scarf from the sunshade of a nearby semi-pucca house.
He claimed that he brought her down and informed his brother about the incident.
Nalitabari police Sub-Inspector Abdul Hannan said injury marks were found on the victim’s body. Her husband, Ekramul Haque, and mother-in-law, Farida Begum, have been detained for questioning in connection with the incident.
The body has been sent to the Sherpur morgue for an autopsy to determine the exact cause of death.
Police said further details about the cause of death will be known after the autopsy report is received and the investigation is completed.