Pregnant woman raped by brother-in-law: Mysuru police to probe

BENGALURU: In a ghastly incident, a 28-year-old woman was allegedly raped by her brother-in-law when she was pregnant at her husband’s house in Mysuru. The woman, the daughter of a retired IAS officer who held a top post in the state bureaucracy, has filed a complaint in this connection with the Indiranagar police.

The city police have, however, transferred the case to the police station concerned in Mysuru, as the incident took place there. City Police Commissioner M.N. Reddi told reporters that the city police had received the complaint on Tuesday and later transferred it to Mysuru. “As the complainant had sought security for her husband and other family members, we have provided her appropriate security,” he said. However, the Mysuru police said that they are yet to receive the complaint and would start the probe after they get it.

The victim has alleged that her husband’s elder brother Dr. Harsha Basappa had raped her in last November, when she was eight months pregnant. He had allegedly frightened her to silence. In addition, she has also accused her in-laws of harassing her bring a dowry of Rs 45 crore. Her father-in-law, Dr C.B. Murthy, runs the reputed Basappa Memorial Hospital (B M Hospital) in Mysuru.

In her complaint, she stated that her marriage was a love-cum arranged and an inter-religious one. “My in-laws, including my brother-in-law and sister-in-law, were harassing me to bring a dowry of Rs 15 crore. They started harassing me just after a few days after the wedding in 2011. As the family business was not doing well, they started harassing me to sell my father’s property in Bengaluru and give them Rs 45 crore. As I refused, they threw me out of the house in the middle of the night on several occasions,” she stated.

Harsha was allegedly making sexual advances at her very often. “On November 11 last year, I was resting in my room as I was eight months pregnant. Harsha barged inside my room and raped me. While he was trying to strangulate me, my husband rushed to my help hearing my screams. Harsha had threatened us of dire consequences if I revealed the matter to anyone. Even my in-laws stopped my husband from filing a complaint by saying that both the families’ reputation would be affected if the matter is reported to the police. However, both, myself and my husband, decided to file a complaint only after the delivery,” she alleged.

The woman, who delivered a baby girl three months ago, filed the complaint on Tuesday. Based on her complaint the police have registered cases under IPC sections 341 (wrongful restraint), 307 (attempt to murder), 376 (rape), 498 (husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and other sections against her in-laws.