Husband, stepson held for killing pregnant woman over dowry in Palghar district

Palghar: Police in Maharashtra’s Palghar district have arrested a woman’s husband and stepson for allegedly killing her over dowry when she was eight months pregnant, an official said on Friday.

The victim was married to Nallasopara resident Jayprakash Amarnath Dubey (40), who has a son from an earlier marriage.

Jayprakash would often come home drunk and beat his wife saying her family had not given any dowry, the official said citing the FIR.

Jayprakash and his son Sachin (20) allegedly force-fed the woman some liquid on April 7 when she was eight months pregnant, resulting in the death of her unborn child.

Senior inspector Rahul Rakha of the Central Crime Unit of the Mira-Bhayandar, Vasai-Virar Police said cops had then arrested Jayprakash, who subsequently secured bail, but Sachin remained at large.

The woman who was being treated at a hospital after the incident died on July 2, prompting the police to seek cancellation of Jayprakash’s bail.

However, he too had gone underground by then, said the official.

Acting on various inputs, police tracked down the father-son duo and took them into custody from Nallasopara on July 16, the official said, adding that both have been booked for murder.