Husband and family arrested for murder of young woman in Ooty

CHENNAI: Four, including the husband and family members of a young woman, have been arrested in connection with her murder at Vannarapped, near Ooty in the Nilgiris district. The victim, Ashika Parveen, 22, was found dead on June 24 at her husband’s home, allegedly after consuming poison. Despite being rushed to a private hospital in Ooty, she did not survive.

According to the police, Ashika was murdered with cyanide in a dowry-related crime. The Ooty police have arrested her husband Imran Khan (27) mother-in-law Yasmin (47) brother-in-law Mukhtar (23) and a relative, Khalib (56) in connection with the incident.

The arrests were made following a complaint by Ashika’s family, who were suspicious of her sudden death. The body was sent for a post-mortem, which revealed that Ashika had been brutally beaten and that cyanide was present in her system. The report indicated injuries to her neck, shoulder and ribs, leading the police to conclude that she was poisoned by her husband and family members, who laced her coffee with cyanide.

Ashika, originally from Bandishola, and Imran, a native of Ooty Kandal, were married in 2021 in a love marriage. The couple had a two-year-old child. However, after their marriage, Ashika confided in her family that she was being physically abused by her husband and in-laws over dowry demands. The family had pressured her to bring Rs 20 lakh as dowry to purchase land. When Ashika failed to meet this demand, the police believe the family conspired to kill her.