The judge of the Mahila Trial Court, G. Prathibha Devi, sentenced Bathula Nambiar alias Sujith, who killed his wife Sailaja, 29, by setting her on fire, to death.
The incident occurred in Krishnalanka in June 2019. Sailaja, a school teacher, was six months pregnant.
According to the police, Sujith, a native of Jonnapadu in Mandal Gudivada in Krishna District, married Sailaja from Mandal Koduru in December 2018. The couple lived in Fakirugudem. Sujith worked as a lecturer at a college in Gudivada.
The defendant began molesting his wife for additional dowry. On June 15, 2019, Sujith doused her with gasoline and set her on fire while she was sleeping.
Neighbors who rushed to the spot transferred the pregnant woman to the hospital, where she said her husband was molesting her for dowry and setting her on fire. She died after a while.
After a complaint from Sailaja’s father, Krishnalanka police arrested the defendant. After examining 18 witnesses in the case, the judge sentenced the accused to the death penalty.