Tue May 20 12:44:39 UTC 2025: **News Article:**

**Woman Killed by In-Laws for Inability to Bear Children in Belagavi**

**Belagavi, May 20, 2025** – A 27-year-old woman, Renuka Santosh Honakande, was allegedly murdered by her in-laws in Athani, Belagavi district, due to their belief that she was unable to conceive children. The incident occurred near Malabadi village on Saturday, and initially appeared to be a tragic accident.

Renuka’s husband, Santosh, reported to the police that his wife died after her sari became entangled in the motorcycle’s wheels, leading to strangulation. He claimed she was riding pillion with her father-in-law, Kamanna, and mother-in-law, Jayashree, and that her parents were unable to rescue her in time. He further claimed that she fractured her skull after falling from the bike and hitting a stone.

However, police investigation revealed that the three individuals had conspired to kill Renuka because of her perceived infertility. Kamanna, Jayashree, and Santosh have been arrested and charged under the Bharatiya Nyaya Samhita and the Dowry Prohibition Act. The charges include murder, cruelty towards women, dowry death, destruction of evidence, and unlawful assembly. A court has remanded them to judicial custody.

According to Superintendent of Police Bheemashankar S. Guled, the accused meticulously staged the scene to resemble an accident. Police determined that the father-in-law and mother-in-law had struck Renuka down, crushed her head with a stone, strangled her with a sari, and then tied her body to the motorcycle, dragging it approximately 120 feet from the actual crime scene to create the illusion of an accident.

“Officers acted on some clues and brought out the truth,” said Superintendent Guled.

A case has been registered at the Athani Police Station. The investigation is ongoing.

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