Bettiah: A 20-year-old pregnant woman died under suspicious circumstances during the delivery at a private hospital at Ramnagar in West Champaran district on Tuesday.The incident has triggered allegations from the victim’s family, who claimed that her in-laws, in connivance with the attending doctor, orchestrated her murder. The case has further intensified with the alleged disappearance of the newborn.The deceased woman’s mother, Shabnam said her daughter was married two years ago to Imran Ansari, a resident of Raybari Mahuawa village under Chautarwa police station area. She was expecting a child and had spoken to her family just two days prior to the incident.Shabnam alleged that despite her warning against taking her daughter to a particular private facility in Ramnagar, which she described as “unreliable”, the in-laws allegedly admitted her there without informing the maternal family. Hours later, they were informed of her death.“When we reached the hospital, only my daughter’s body was there. The in-laws and the newborn were missing,” she said.The family has also alleged prolonged dowry harassment. According to them, the in-laws had been demanding a car worth Rs20 lakh. Despite financial constraints, the family arranged a vehicle worth Rs10 lakh through a loan, but the demands allegedly continued.They further accused the doctor and hospital staff of administering a “poisonous injection” leading to her death, claiming that the facility has a history of malpractice and illegal procedures.Bagaha SP Ramanand Kaushal confirmed that an FIR has been registered at Ramnagar police station based on the family’s complaint. “The body has been sent for the postmortem. The role of the hospital and its legality will also be investigated. The exact cause of death will be known after the arrival of the autopsy report,” he said.Police said efforts are underway to trace the accused and locate the missing newborn.
