Bettadapura: A newly-married woman, who had gone missing, was found dead yesterday. She was allegedly murdered by her husband on the very day of their marriage. The duo had a relationship earlier and as a result, the woman was pregnant. The couple was forced into wedlock by village elders. The accused, however, denied that the child was his.
The accused is 19-year-old Pawan alias Nagaraj from Lakshmipura tribal settlement at Periyapatna and the woman is 18-year-old Nagamma from the same village. Pawan was against his forcible marriage with her. The victim was in the fifth month of her pregnancy, when he beat her to death with an iron rod. Nagamma was found buried at a hilly place near the tribal hamlet.
