A 25-year-old woman was found dead 8 months after her marriage in Rajaphukuri village under Panbari outpost in Assam’s Darrang district.

The victim, identified as Yesmina Khatun, was found dead in a mysterious condition.

After the incident, the woman’s family members on Sunday lodged an FIR against her husband and in-laws after which the husband, identified as Sofikul Islam (27) was arrested by Panbari police.

The victim’s mother alleged that her daughter’s husband and her in-laws had been demanding dowry from them, and staged her murder to look like a suicide.

The victim was found hanging from the fan.

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Villagers said the victim eloped with the accused, an inhabitant of the same village, 8 months back.

However, the victim’s parents were against the marriage and approached the local village headman and student activists who later settled the matter.

“After the marriage, the victim’s husband started harassing her for dowry. Her husband’s family had been demanding Rs 3 lakh,” said a family member of the victim.

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“My sister has become a victim of cold-blooded murder as her in-laws and husband were torturing her. I demand justice for my sister,” said the victim’s sister.

“We have registered a case under Sections 304B (dowry death), 120B (criminal conspiracy) of the Indian Penal Code and the accused has been arrested and forwarded him to judicial custody,” said a police officer privy to the investigation.

Pertinently, the punishment for dowry death ranges from a minimum sentence of imprisonment for seven years and a maximum sentence extending to imprisonment for life.