The Chembur police arrested a 30-year-old man from Delhi on Sunday and booked his family members for reportedly making a dowry demand of `25 lakh. The couple got married in 2007 and has a three-year-old son.
According to the woman’s complaint, her family had already spent over `50 lakh on the engagement and marriage ceremony, apart from giving precious gifts, including a luxury sedan to the accused.
The complainant, Mahima Shivghare (30), lives in Chembur and had married Anilkumar Kalika Prasad in 2007. After their marriage, she relocated with him to New Delhi. While Mahima’s family is involved in the real estate business, Anil’s family owns a rice processing and polishing factory. According to her complaint, Anil, his parents and two brothers began harassing her just a few months after the marriage, and intensified their demands from late 2012.
“Mahima said that her family had already borne the entire expenditure of their engagement and wedding, spending around `50 lakh. They also gifted them a Skoda sedan costing around `8 lakh, apart from 46 tolas worth around `9 lakh. They claimed that the payment for other minor purchases including electronic gadgets and home appliances were also borne by her family,” said a source from the police department. She has alleged that her husband constantly picked up fights with her causing her severe mental and emotional trauma, added the source.
Mahima then moved back to Mumbai and filed a complaint with the Chembur police, which registered an FIR on February 2 this year. After preliminary investigations, a team of officers went to New Delhi and arrested Anil on Sunday.
Anil was slapped with dowry harassment charges under Section 498 A and has been remanded to police custody till May 7. His father Kalika, mother Lakshmi and brothers Amit and Sumit are absconding. Mahima refused to comment when contacted. Senior police inspector B.B. Rathod confirmed registering such a case, but declined giving further information citing request by the family.
However, during interrogation, Anil had denied harassing his wife and said that the cause behind the marital discord was her insistence on living separately, said the police source.