Man, five kin arrested on charge of torturing his wife to death

The weapon has been seized.The 17-month-old son of the victim was also injured when one of the pellets hit him, he said.The victims brother lodged a case of cruelty and murder after her death on Tuesday night.The arrested members include the man, his parents and other family members.The accused are residents of Borpada in Shahapur taluka, a police official had said.In his complaint, victim Ranjana Bhavars brother said her husband and in-laws used to torture and harass her, due to which she had consumed poison in 2022.

Police arrested a man and five members of his family on Wednesday night on the charges of torturing and murdering his wife at Shahapur in Maharashtra's Thane district, an official said.

A police officer told PTI that the medical report indicated the woman died of pellets fired from a country-made rifle used to hunt animals. The weapon has been seized.

The 17-month-old son of the victim was also injured when one of the pellets hit him, he said.

The victim's brother lodged a case of cruelty and murder after her death on Tuesday night.

The arrested members include the man, his parents and other family members.

The accused are residents of Borpada in Shahapur taluka, a police official had said.

''In his complaint, victim Ranjana Bhavar's brother said her husband and in-laws used to torture and harass her, due to which she had consumed poison in 2022. She had survived the suicide attempt at that time. The couple currently has two children - a daughter aged three-and-a-half years and a son below two years of age,'' the official said.

Even after the previous incident, the woman's husband and in-laws continued to harass her. She used to regularly complain about it to the complainant and others, he said.

''Last night, the in-laws of the victim informed her brother that she died due to injuries after falling. The body was sent to a government hospital for autopsy. The complaint said that there were multiple injury marks on the victim, including her face, forehead and neck. There were injury marks on her minor son as well,'' the official said.

The accused, identified as Shiva Kalu Bhavar, Savitri Kalu Bhavar, Kalu Maidu Bhavar, Gajmal Kalu Bhavar, Bendu Kalu Bhavar and Atya Kalu Bhavar, were charged under Indian Penal Code (IPC) sections 302 (murder), 498 A (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty), 34 (common intention), the police said.

We have arrested six members of the family, said Shahapur police station inspector Anant Parad said, adding that further investigation is underway.