'Sought Rs 5L for business': How Bengaluru techie-turned-panipuri seller’s dowry demands led to software engineer's death

NEW DELHI: A man in Bengaluru who quit his job as a software engineer to sell panipuri has been arrested on allegations of driving his 27-year-old wife to suicide, police said. The accused, Praveen, was taken into custody on Thursday following a complaint filed by his mother-in-law, Sharada. She alleged that her daughter, Shilpa Panchangamath, died by suicide after repeated harassment for dowry. Shilpa married Praveen in December 2022. Her family said they spent about Rs 35 lakh on the wedding and gave 150 grams of gold to the groom.

The couple lived in BTM Layout and had a young son. Shilpa was also pregnant with her second child. According to the complaint, Praveen, who had previously worked in a firm in Whitefield before starting a panipuri business and his mother, Shantavva, repeatedly demanded an additional Rs 5 lakh for his venture. Shilpa’s family said they had eventually raised the money but the harassment continued. “They still asked for more dowry. Praveen’s mother even suggested my daughter should divorce him so he could marry someone else for more dowry,” Sharada told police. On 26 August, Shilpa was found dead at her home in Suddaguntepalya. Her family said they were informed of her death and found her body lying on the bed when they arrived. Police confirmed Praveen’s arrest and said investigations into the dowry harassment allegations are continuing.