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A 27-year-old woman, Shilpa B Panchangamath, was found dead under suspicious circumstances at her home in Bengaluru’s BTM Layout on the night of August 26. Shilpa, a former software engineer with Infosys, was married to Praveen R. The police registered a case of dowry death against Praveen and his mother. Praveen was arrested on the night of Thursday, August 28.
Shilpa, originally from Hubballi, married Praveen, a native of Koppal, in December 2022. The couple have a one-and-a-half-year-old son, and Shilpa’s family said she was pregnant at the time of her death.
According to the FIR based on a complaint by Shilpa’s mother, Sharada B Panchangamath, Praveen was a former software engineer who later quit his job to start a panipuri business. His mother, Shantavva, allegedly subjected Shilpa to continuous physical and mental harassment for additional dowry.
Sharada stated in her complaint that the family had spent around Rs 35 lakh on the wedding, and given 150 grams of gold ornaments and household articles. “After the wedding, Praveen and Shantavva tortured my daughter physically and mentally to bring more money. Shantavva even told my daughter that she was not the right match for Praveen and that if she left, they would remarry him with someone more appropriate. Once, I had to send my daughter back with Rs 5 lakh cash,” the FIR quotes Sharada.
Six months ago, Praveen allegedly demanded another Rs 5 lakh to fund his food business, and when the demand was not met, Shilpa was assaulted and sent back to her parents’ home. She was eventually sent back to her marital home after the money was arranged, but the family said the harassment continued.
On August 26, around 9.15 pm, Shilpa’s family received a call informing them that she had died by suicide. However, relatives have questioned the circumstances. Her body was reportedly found on her bed, covered with a bedsheet. Speaking outside the mortuary, Shilpa’s uncle Channabasayya said there was no stool below the fan, suggesting she could not have hanged herself.
“If he didn't want to be with her, he could have just sent her back. Yesterday, he left home saying he was going out of town, and then we got information that she had died by suicide. But there was no stool below the fan, and she could not even reach the fan. It seems like he murdered her and escaped,” he alleged.
He added that the family had sold their house in Hubballi worth Rs 40 lakh to arrange her marriage and later paid another Rs 10 lakh from chit funds. He also said they had initially trusted Praveen because he presented himself as an engineer, but were shocked to find that he quit his IT career soon after the wedding.
Shilpa’s sister alleged that Shilpa was body-shamed by her mother-in-law and harassed for her complexion. “She was also being tortured by them. They are lying that it was suicide. They have murdered her,” she told reporters.
The Suddaguntepalya police have registered a case under Section 80 (2) (dowry death) of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) along with sections 3 (Penalty for giving or taking dowry) and 4 (Penalty for demanding dowry) of the Dowry Prohibition Act, against Praveen and his mother.