Until Friday, there wasn't a single day that Chandrashekhar and his wife hadn't talked to their daughter, 28-year-old S Pallavi. An MBA graduate, Pallavi would talk to her parents daily since the time she got married two months ago.
On Saturday, however, Chandrashekar received a call which informed him that his daughter had killed herself at her residence in Vanasthalipuram of Hyderabad.
The family alleges that Pallavi took the extreme step as she had been physically and mentally harassed for dowry by her in-laws. Based on a complaint by them, the police have booked her husband Santhosh and in-laws Srihari and Vijayalaksmi under Section 304B (Dowry Death) of the IPC.
Speaking to TNM, Pallavi's elder sister, Pavani, said, "They harassed her mentally and always mistreated her. Her mother-in-law was asking her for more dowry and used to pass comments saying Pallavi had brought in lesser dowry than her sister-in-law."
According to the family, Pallavi had to quit her job at a bank as Santhosh's family did not want her to go out for work.
"She understood the situation of her parents and agreed to get married. They told us that he runs a business but that seems to be a lie," Pavani said.
Pallavi is the third among four siblings and all of them are married.
Pavani further said, "When she came for Sankranti, she told us that her husband was acting like a 'psycho' and was making negative comments and restricting her at home."
Since Pallavi's death, the family has been in shock.
"She was very bright and daring. They have tortured her to such an extent that she took the extreme step," Pavani said, adding that Pallavi did not confide in her parents as they are aged.
Speaking to TNM, Vanasthalipuram Inspector Venkataiah said that evidence has been collected in the case, and that the three accused have been arrested.
"It's been just 58 days since their marriage. She killed herself on Friday morning when no one was in the house. Pallavi's family has said that they gave over Rs 2 lakh in dowry along with household items and jewellery for the marriage," he added.