A 30-year-old woman who was four months pregnant died at Kasturba Hospital in Manipal after suffering severe burn injuries for nearly a week. Shwetha, a resident of Hodabatte village in Soraba Taluk, Shivamogga district, died last after medical intervention failed to save her and her unborn child.
Shwetha, who was a staff nurse at a private hospital, had allegedly attempted suicide on March 29 after being harassed by her in-laws. But her grieving parents have now raised serious accusations that their daughter didn’t commit suicide but was set on fire by her husband’s family over a property dispute.
Four Arrested Following Police Complaint
After a formal complaint was made by Shwetha’s parents at Soraba Police Station, authorities have moved fast to arrest four people.
- Sannappa (Father-in-law)
- Janaki (Mother-in-law)
- Hemanth (Brother-in-law)
- Divya (Sister-in-law)
The police have registered a case and are investigating whether the incident was an abetment to suicide or pre-meditated murder as alleged by the victim’s family.
Allegations of Property Dispute and Torture
Shwetha’s parents, grief-stricken outside the Manipal hospital, claimed that their daughter was “not a coward” who would end her life. They claimed that there had been psychological and physical torture for over a decade around a residential property (house site).
The family said they have been told that the in-laws were favoring the elder son Hemanth and his wife Divya. They forced Shwetha to leave the house and give up her property to the owners. “They harassed her daily, picking fights and telling her to leave the house. They have set her on fire to get her out of the way for the sake of the elder son’s inheritance,” a relative said at a tearful protest.
A Community in Mourning
The death of a young nurse, especially one who was four months pregnant, has sent shockwaves through the Soraba region. Shwetha was known in her professional circle as a dedicated healthcare worker. Her parents have demanded the strictest possible punishment for the accused, saying that the “harassment for property” resulted in the loss of two lives.
The Soraba police said the post-mortem report and forensic evidence from the site of the incident in Hodabatte will be crucial to determine the nature of the crime. The four accused remain in judicial custody, they said.
