In a dramatic new twist to the death of a Telangana woman, a new video has emerged that puts the spotlight on her husband and his family.
Twenty-year-old Tummala Swathi was found on dead on May 16, she allegedly hanged herself to death hours before she was supposed to appear in court.
"My name is Swathi. I'm the daughter of Srinivas Reddy. The reason I'm attempting suicide, is because of the boy's side of the family. My family is not related to it in any way," Swathi says in the video.
The boy that Swathi mentioned was her husband 23-year-old Amboji Naresh. Naresh has been missing for more than two weeks and Swathi was supposed to depose in the case before the Hyderabad High Court.
Naresh's father Venkataiah had approached court saying Swathi's family had opposed the relationship and he feared for his son’s safety. Swathi’s father Srinivas Reddy had alleged that his daughter had been tortured for dowry.
The video that has emerged now was purportedly taken by Swathi after her first suicide attempt in her parent's house in Athmakur mandal of Yadadri Bhuvanagiri district.
"I realised that it was a mistake and I couldn't live with them, so I came back to my house. My parents didn't even raise their hand on me. They just said that everyone makes mistakes at a young age, and told me that it was not my fault. They said that they will ensure that my life doesn't get spoiled," she adds.
Stating that other parents would've 'killed their daughter', in a similar situation, Swathi says that her father did not even raise his voice against her.
Swathi then goes on to describe an article that appeared in Sakshi newspaper on May 12.
"It said that Srinivas Reddy's daughter had just recently had a baby. I went with that boy for just one month. How will I get pregnant and give birth in this time?" she asks.
"The boy's parents are doing this intentionally, so that I return to them. Whether I live or die, they want me to stay with their son only," she alleges.
Swathi also claims that her husband asked her how much property and gold her family owned, on multiple occasions, and even asked her for dowry.
This video reinforced, Srinivas Reddy's allegations that Naresh had asked for dowry, when he dropped Swathi back home.
"In his complaint, the girl's father alleged that Naresh asked for money and gold from his family, as dowry, for marrying Swathi. We are looking into the claims, and have registered a case against Naresh and his family under Section 304-B (dowry death)," the Athmakur police had earlier told TNM.
Speaking after the video surfaced, Srinivas told the media that he had no idea where Naresh was, and alleged that his own family was hiding him, to torture Reddy's family.
"They put my poor girl through so much. I have been telling the same thing, and I'm ready to face any investigation. They are trying to escape from the dowry case and so making baseless allegations at me," he told the media.
On May 15, Swathi tried to kill herself by consuming toilet cleaning liquid, but survived. On May 16, she used a stole to hang herself in the bathroom of her parent's house.
In a nutshell
Swathi and Naresh who had been in a relationship for a long time and eloped in March and got married in Mumbai. It was an inter-caste marriage.
Naresh had dropped Swathi at Bhongir town in Telangana on May 2, after Swathi's father reportedly called her and pleaded with her to return. The police said that Naresh was last tracked down to be present in Bhongir at 9 pm on May 2. However, his phone has been switched off since then.
Venkataiah, moved the HC on May 15 and filed a habeas corpus petition, stating that he feared for his son's safety. Meanwhile, the court has asked the Telangana police to either find and produce Naresh, or file a detailed report on the incident by June 1.