The crime branch team investigating the dowry harassment death of Yazna (30), a native of Varkala, has arrested her mother-in-law, Rajeena (56), from Thiruvananthapuram airport.
Rajeena was remanded to judicial custody for 14 days by the court. The probe team plans to move a custody application soon to interrogate her further.
Yazna, originally from Dar-ul-Zalam, Odayam, Varkala, was found hanging in her residence in Sharjah in March 2024. She lived there with her husband Shamnad (36) of Kavalayoor and their five-year-old son. The postmortem revealed multiple injuries on her body, leading Yazna’s parents to file a complaint with Ayiroor police.
The case was later transferred to the crime branch, which added Shamnad, Rajeena, and Fathima (30) — Yazna’s sister-in-law — as accused. Interpol was involved, and lookout notices were issued against the accused.
The accused have been charged under Sections 304-B (dowry death) and 306 (abetment of suicide) of the Indian Penal Code.
According to Yazna’s family, they had given dowry including 130 sovereigns of gold, 22 cents of land, and Rs 10 lakh in cash during the marriage. However, Yazna was allegedly tortured by Shamnad, his mother Rajeena, and sister Fathima over demands for more dowry.
