Family Alleges Woman Starved to Death by Husband in Ashwaraopet
Relatives stage a protest demanding an arrest; police await post-mortem report on suspicious death
Nalgonda: The relatives of Poola Lakshmi Prasanna, who died under suspicious circumstances, staged a dharna on Monday in front of the Ashwaraopet police station in Bhadradri-Kothagudem district, demanding the arrest of her husband Naresh Babu.
They alleged that Naresh had locked Lakshmi Prasanna in a room and starved her to death by denying her food.
Lakshmi Prasanna (33), daughter of Mudigonda Venkateshwarlu of Vishwanathapuram in Kalluru mandal, Khammam district, was married to Naresh Babu in 2015. For the past three years, the couple had been living with their daughter in a relative’s house at Ashwaraopet.
Venkateshwarlu said Naresh phoned him on Saturday, claiming that Lakshmi Prasanna had fallen down the stairs and was admitted to a hospital in Rajahmundry with injuries. However, on reaching the hospital, he found his daughter’s body emaciated “like a skeleton” and bearing injuries. She had already died by then. He further alleged that Naresh had not allowed the family to meet or even speak to Lakshmi Prasanna over the phone for the past two years.
Meanwhile, Naresh Babu’s family claimed that Lakshmi Prasanna had been suffering from anaemia and thyroid issues, dismissing her father’s allegations as false.
Ashwaraopet sub-inspector Yayathi Raju said a case of suspicious death has been registered and the medical reports are being examined. The exact cause of death will be known after the post-mortem report is received.
