A 40-year-old Non-Resident Indian, Satheesh Shivasankara Pillai, was detained at Thiruvananthapuram International Airport on Sunday upon arrival from the UAE, accused of abetting the suicide of his wife, Athulya Shekhar, 29, in Sharjah. The Chavara native was handed over to the Valiyathura police and will be transferred to the Kerala Crime Branch for further investigation into the July 19 incident, which saw Athulya found hanging in their apartment under suspicious circumstances.

A look-out notice facilitated Satheesh’s detention by immigration officials. The Chavara Thekkumbhagam police filed an FIR based on a complaint from Athulya’s parents, charging him under sections 85 (abetment of suicide), 115(2) (grievous hurt), 103(1) (cruelty by husband or relatives), and 118(1) (wrongful restraint) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act. The FIR alleges Satheesh harassed Athulya since their 2014 marriage over dowry disputes, with a violent assault—hitting her head with a plate and kicking her stomach—reported two days before her death.

Athulya’s family claims she endured years of physical and mental abuse, supported by audio and video evidence where she detailed the assaults. Her father, Rajasekharan Pillai, dismissed suicide claims, alleging dowry-driven harassment. Satheesh, a former site engineer in Dubai, was sacked after the incident and denies responsibility, admitting only to “differences” in their marriage.

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Despite securing anticipatory bail from the District Court, Satheesh’s statement will be recorded before his release, as per court orders. The case, now under the Crime Branch, has sparked outrage, with women’s rights groups demanding a thorough probe into possible foul play, citing concerns over hasty suicide classifications in overseas deaths of Indian women.

The investigation will seek further details from Sharjah authorities, as Athulya’s post-mortem at Parippally Medical College and local police findings classified her death as suicide. This case, alongside another recent dowry-related death in Sharjah, has reignited debates on domestic violence and legal challenges in cross-border cases.

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