Jhansi: A 23-year-old woman was allegedly murdered by her husband and in-laws on Wednesday, with the accused initially attempting to pass off the death as an accidental electrocution. Following a postmortem conducted by a panel of doctors, police registered a case against the husband and his family members on Thursday evening.The deceased, Pooja Pal, a native of Datia in Madhya Pradesh and mother of a two-year-old daughter, was married to Dhiraj in April 2022 in Palinda village under Raksa police station of Jhansi district.According to a complaint filed by Pooja’s family, she was subjected to continuous harassment and torture by her in-laws over dowry demands, including Rs 5 lakh and a car, soon after the marriage. A few days before her death, Pooja had reportedly called her brother and informed him that she had been brutally assaulted. The matter was temporarily resolved following intervention by her parents.On Wednesday morning, Pooja’s parents received a phone call from her in-laws claiming that she had died due to accidental electrocution. However, upon reaching the house, they noticed multiple bruises on her face and head. They raised an alarm as the in-laws were reportedly preparing for her cremation.Police later reached the spot and sent the body for postmortem examination. Sources said the post-mortem revealed marks of strangulation on the neck, along with multiple injuries on the face and head, besides signs of electric current on the body, indicating severe brutality prior to death.CO Sadar Ramveer Singh said preliminary investigation suggested murder. “There were clear marks of strangulation as well as electrocution. An FIR is being registered against the husband and in-laws under serious sections related to dowry death,” he said.
