In-Laws Videotape 25-Year-Old Woman Hanging Herself To Death To Prove Their 'Innocence'

In a shocking incident, a 25-year-old woman hanged herself to death while her in-laws huddled outside the room and shot a video, to prove their "innocence" in the death.

The incident happened in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh Sunday, reports The Times of India. The in-laws also uploaded the video on social media, hoping it would go viral and they would be absolved of any involvement in the case.

The video, which did go viral, shows the victim Komal trying a noose with a blue stole around a beam lining the asbestos roof. She is then seen tightening it and testing its grip before letting herself go.

A voice in the background, said to be belonging to the father-in-law, could be heard saying, "She hanged herself on her own."

The police have arrested the woman’s father-in-law Devendra and mother-in-law Savitri, on a complaint filed by the woman’s father Anil Kumar. A search has been launched for her husband Ashish and brother-in-law Sachin, both absconding.

A senior police official said the in-laws had tried to stop her. The initial investigation hinted that the video was shot from a window of the room, where the woman committed suicide, and family members and other villagers were present outside.

"They tried to break the door and simultaneously shot the video too perhaps to create evidence that they were not involved in the incident,” said the official.

But, the victim's father said Komal was harassed by her in-laws for the past two years seeking dowry. "I had given Rs 5 lakh ($6,654) and a bike to his family at the time. But his father Devendra, mother Savita, and brother Sachin were not happy. About six months ago, they beat up Komal and drove her out of the house. The elders of the village sent her back," said her father.

In a similar case, a woman was arrested in the Indian state of West Bengal for allegedly abetting her husband’s suicide. Police also retrieved a video of her husband killing himself from her. Though she claimed she shot the video thinking he was only threatening to commit suicide like he often did, police found inconsistencies in her statement. The couple had married recently after five years of courtship.