The suspicious death of a woman lawyer at Parthibanur near Paramakudi in September 2013 has turned out to be a “honour killing” as the district police filed a charge sheet against her parents and brother, accusing them of murdering her for marrying a Dalit classmate.
The police said foul play in the death of lawyer Sangeetha Priya (28) came to light in August last year, almost a year after the incident, when the police arrested Muniasamy, her maternal uncle, who had helped in bringing her body from Parthibanur and dispose it of at the cremation ground at Zamindarvalasai in Devipattinam near here.
Giving details of the charge sheet here on Saturday, Superintendent of Police N.M. Mylvahanan said that he had ordered a detailed probe into the death after the victim’s husband, Sundaresan (29), lodged a complaint three months after her death, stating that he could not contact his wife after she was taken home by her parents.
The police initially registered a case under Section 176 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC) for disposing of the body without informing the police but altered the section and registered a case under Section 302 after finding that the woman was strangulated to death by her parents – Velusamy and Rani – and younger brother Anandaraj, the SP said.
When the police intensified the investigation, the trio absconded and obtained anticipatory bail, stating that Priya died of chest pain but the police harassed them.
The investigation, however, revealed that they committed the murder, “a clear case of honour killing”, as Priya had eloped with Sundaresan after completing her studies and married him, he said.
After the couple lived in Tirupachur in Tiruvallur district for nearly two years since 2011, the accused brought her home promising to arrange a wedding reception for them. Priya, belonging to a backward community, fell in love with Sundaresan while studying at Salem Law College, the SP said.
The police filed the charge sheet before the Fast Track Mahila Court here recently, the SP said, adding they had also arraigned Ramalingam, a community leader at Zamindarvalasai, as an accused for helping the accused dispose of the body and failing to inform the police.
Superintendent of Police said he had ordered a detailed probe after the victim’s husband lodged a complaint three months after her death
