Man sentenced to 3 years of jail for abetting suicide of 19-yr-old

The case date backs to June 2019. The accused, Cheruku Harikanth, 25, used to work at an alcohol shop in Yadagirigutta adjacent to a shop whose owner had a 19-year-old daughter. Harikanth had harassed the girl multiple times until he made her believe that he was in love with her and that they would get married. The girl's father had reprimanded him on several occasions but failed to deter Harikanth from getting her into a relationship with him.

Later, to the girl's shock, Harikanth got married without her knowledge. She then confronted him with the promises he had made to her about their marriage while they were in a relationship. Then he fought with her saying that he won't marry her and demanded that she kill herself as she has no shame in pursuing him even after he had rejected her. He said she had no reason to live anymore.

Coming home from that fight, vexed with her life, she poured kerosene over herself and set it ablaze. On hearing her cries the neighbours and her father rushed to help her and took her to the Area Hospital in Bhongir where the girl told them about Harikanth and how he drove her to suicide.

After three months at the hospital, she succumbed to burn injuries.

Basing on a complaint, a case was registered at Yadagirigutta PS, and during the course of the investigation, Harikanth was arrested and remanded to judicial custody. On Tuesday, the Additional Sessions Court Judge V. Rajani at Bhongiri sentenced Harikanth to undergo three years of rigorous imprisonment and imposed a fine of Rs 1,000.