Tamil Nadu Woman Ends Life Over Dowry Harassment, Took ₹70 Lakh Car, Gold As Dowry
A 27-year-old newlywed woman in Tamil Nadu’s Tiruppur district died by suicide on Saturday after allegedly enduring relentless dowry harassment, just two months after her family spent crores on her wedding and gave a dowry that included 300 sovereigns of gold and a ₹70 lakh car. Her husband and in-laws have been arrested after she left behind a heart-wrenching voice message blaming them for her death.
The victim, Rithanya, daughter of a prominent garment businessman, was married to Kavin Kumar, 28, in a grand ceremony on April 11, 2025. Despite the lavish wedding and dowry, her family alleges that the harassment for more gold began just ten days into the marriage.
According to the family and a voice note Rithanya sent to her father, she was subjected to severe physical and mental torture by her husband Kavin Kumar, father-in-law Easwaramoorthy, and mother-in-law Chithradevi, who demanded an additional 200 sovereigns of gold.
On Saturday, after visiting a temple, Rithanya parked her car by the roadside and consumed pesticide. Locals who spotted her unconscious inside the vehicle alerted the police. She was rushed to a government hospital but was declared dead on arrival.
In the final WhatsApp voice message to her father, Rithanya detailed the horrific abuse she was facing. She reportedly said she was being humiliated and tortured for trivial reasons and that her husband had threatened to kill himself if she revealed the abuse to anyone. “Everyone around me is acting… They are assaulting me mentally while he is torturing me physically. I don’t like this life. I’m unable to continue,” she stated in the message.
The tragic death and the viral audio clip sparked immediate public outrage. Rithanya’s grieving family staged a protest and a road blockade, demanding the immediate arrest of the accused. Following an inquiry by the Revenue Divisional Officer (RDO), Tiruppur police registered a case of abetment to suicide and arrested Kavin Kumar and his parents. They have been remanded to judicial custody as the investigation continues.
