An 18-year-old woman was allegedly killed and hurriedly cremated by her parents in Mutluru of Vatticherukuru mandal in Andhra Pradesh's Guntur district. The woman was identified as Geetha* (name changed), and her body, which was cremated in a hasty manner, was found charred in an isolated place in a neighborhood.
According to the reports, the woman was in a relationship with a man from another caste and married him, despite objections from her parents.
The incident reportedly took place two days ago. With rumours of murder spreading among local residents, the Village Revenue Officer (VRO) filed a complaint with the local police seeking a probe into the incident. Police, who visited the scene of the incident at the village, have registered a case under Section 174 of the CrPC (Unnatural Death). According to Deputy Superintendent of Police Prashanthi, investigation is underway and a clues team has been roped in to speed up the probe.
Speaking to a regional media outlet, the Deputy Superintendent said that the parents of the women are being questioned as to why they conducted the cremation instantly. The Deputy Superintendent said, "The parents are saying that the deceased died by suicide as she was unable to bear a long-standing stomach ache. They have also claimed that they attempted to rescue her after being alerted by neighbours, who saw flames and fog."
The police are withholding the details of the deceased as the probe is underway. Speaking to The News Minute, Guntur (Urban) Superintendent of Police (SP) Arif Hafeez said that the circumstances of the incident are "suspicious". The SP said, "The body appears to be completely burnt. There are no remains of the corpse. Our experts are seeing if there is anything to act on, for further investigation."
When asked if the primary investigation is pointing to murder over an inter-caste marriage, the SP said, "The circumstances are suspicious and there are multiple aspects we are looking at. As the investigation is underway we won't divulge any details of the case. We will conclude the case in one or two days."
(This article was first published in The News Minute and republished here with permission.)
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