Woman Strangled to Death by Husband Over Dowry on Holi

Bettiah / Patna : A man in Bettiah district has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife on the day of Holi after his demands for an additional dowry of Rs10 lakh and a Bullet motorcycle were not met. The incident took place in Khiriya Ghat, under the Bairia police station area.

The victim, identified as Saloni Singh (24), had been married to the accused, Bittu Kumar Singh (28), since 2022. According to her father, Vijay Bahadur Singh, he had already given Rs10 lakh as dowry at the time of the marriage. However, a year later, his son-in-law began pressuring Saloni for more money and a motorcycle.

‘Bring Money or Leave the House’
Saloni’s father said the abuse escalated after she gave birth to a daughter in 2023. “He would beat her regularly and tell her to bring more money or leave,” he alleged. On the night of Holi, she was assaulted again and had informed her family about it over the phone the following day.

When her father arrived at her in-laws’ house to take her home, he found her dead body on the bed. “There were strangulation marks on her neck. She was murdered in cold blood,” he said. As her husband attempted to flee, he was caught and handed over to the police.

Murder Investigation Underway
Bittu Kumar Singh, who works as a rural housing assistant in Yogpatti block, is now in police custody. Sadar SDPO Rajneesh Kant Priyadarshi confirmed that an FIR has been registered based on the father’s complaint. The couple’s two-year-old daughter was reportedly in another room at the time of the incident.