Pregnant woman's severed body parts found buried in field, husband accused of murder

In a shocking incident, the mutilated body of a pregnant woman was found buried in a field in India. Following the discovery, the victim's family alleged she was killed by her husband and in-laws over her dowry.

The woman's father, identified as Arvind Singh, filed a police complaint against his daughter's husband and five other people for the brutal murder in the state of Bihar. However, no arrests have been made so far in the case, News 18 reported Thursday.

The victim, identified as Kajal, had married Sanjit Kumar on June 27, 2020, and was expecting her first child with him. Singh claimed his son-in-law had demanded more than $5,000 as dowry even after marriage, and added they had already given $1,000 to the family in February. However, their greed for money led to the death of his child, Singh said.

The crime came to light when Kajal's in-laws informed her father of her sudden disappearance from their home in Nonia Bigha village. Singh grew suspicious when his daughter's number was unreachable. He filed a missing person report with the police, following which a search was launched for the pregnant woman.

During the investigation, a dead body with severed parts was found buried in a field. The police also found that those responsible for her death had tried to burn her. Later, the police confirmed the body parts were those of the missing pregnant woman.

Kumar and four of his family members have been booked for murder, dowry and other relevant sections of the Indian Penal Code. An investigation is underway into the incident. It remains unclear when Kajal was killed.

Taking or giving dowry has long been prohibited under specific Indian laws including the Dowry Prohibition Act 1961. Despite this, several people – especially in the rural areas – still follow the practice. The age-old system has led to several deaths of women in the country.

The National Crime Bureau of India, as recently as 2017, recorded nearly 7,000 dowry linked deaths a year. The report said at least 20 women die every day as a result of harassment over a dowry – either murdered, or compelled to kill themselves.