Woman dies by suicide after mom-in-law berates her for delivering 2 girls

CHENNAI: A 34-year-old woman died by suicide in Pallavaram on Friday after her mother-in-law scolded her for giving birth to two daughters.

The deceased – Fazilath Khatoon of Pammal near Pallavaram – was an MBA graduate. She married Jamil Ahamed (36) five years ago and the couple has two daughters — a 2-year old and 5-month old.

Police said mother-in-law Shakila was angry because the first baby was a girl. And after the birth of the second daughter, Shakila was enraged and would often argue with Fazilath for not giving birth to a boy.

On Thursday night, Fazilath called her brother and cried to him about the abuse she was undergoing in the house. Her brother tried to console her and said that they will find a solution soon.

However, in 2 hours, Shakila called and informed Fazilath’s parents that she had died by suicide in the house. She told them to collect their daughter’s body.

Soon a complaint was filed in the Shankar Nagar police station. The police, who visited the spot, held enquiries and found that Ahamed had taken a loan of Rs 20 lakh through online apps and could not pay it back.

So, Ahamed and Shakila had demanded that Fazilath ask for money from her parents. Police also found that Shakila had demeaned her daughter-in-law on several occasions for not giving birth to a boy. Shortly thereafter, the police arrested the husband and his mother.

Since the couple had married only five years ago, the Tambaram RDO has also ordered an inquiry.