Pooja, mother of two girls, complained to the police that she was maltreated by her in-laws ever since her marriage six years ago. She alleged that they had recently blackened her face, causing immense humiliation to her and her family. Pooja alleged that the ill-treatment increased after she gave birth to her second daughter, as the family wanted a son. Vikrant Sudhir, Pooja’s husband and a resident of Green Avenue, and Gaurav Sudhir, her brother-in-law, have been arrested.

Naresh Kumar, Pooja’s father and a resident of Chowk Laxmansar, said he had given considerable amount of dowry to his daughter. “However, the accused always troubled her and asked to bring more,” he said. He said initially, the accused demanded a washing machine, then a car and then fixed deposits of Rs 5 lakh each in the name of Pooja’s two daughters. “After the birth of the second daughter, they used to bash Pooja on petty issues,” Naresh said.

He alleged that later the accused sold off their house and lived in a rented accommodation. They would often force Pooja to seek her share in the parental property, Naresh said, adding that a few days ago the accused locked the house and went away, leaving his daughter and granddaughter outside in the cold.

However, the kin of the accused have refuted the charges. A close family friend of the accused said, “There is no truth in these charges. The family respects all women in the house, including Pooja and her two daughters.”

SI Joginder Singh, who is investigating the case, said two persons have been arrested, and further investigations were on.