SDM enquiry in Seemapuri dowry death case of woman

A sub-divisional magistrate enquiry has been ordered into the death of a 22-year-old woman who died under mysterious circumstances in Seemapuri area of north-east Delhi, police said on Wednesday.

Farzana, the victim, was admitted to Guru Teg Bahadur Hospital three weeks ago with 80 per cent burn injuries, but she succumbed to her injuries on Wednesday. She was married to Mehraf who runs a garment shop.

“Mehraf said she was preparing breakfast in the kitchen on February 5 when her clothes caught fire after which she shouted for help. But by the time she could be rescued, she had received severe burn injuries,” police said.

While her in-laws said she accidentally caught fire while cooking, her parents alleged that she was murdered as they could not meet the dowry demands of her in-laws. Her father said few months after her marriage in December 2010, she had told him that everything was not well.

“She told us that she was being harassed for not bringing enough dowry. They also used to thrash my daughter. They must have killed her for money,” he said. The couple had a month-old child.