Athulya's husband, Satheesh, has been fired from his job following her mysterious death in Sharjah. Authorities are working to extradite Satheesh from Sharjah. He admits to physical assault but claims it was out of love.
Kollam: A young woman from Kerala, identified as Athulya, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Sharjah, UAE, sparking outrage and grief back home. Her family has alleged that she was a victim of sustained dowry harassment by her husband Satheesh. The family has announced plans to pursue legal action once the postmortem and forensic reports are released. They will also approach the Indian Consulate in Dubai and the Sharjah Indian Association for support. Satheesh, a native of Sasthamkotta, Kollam, was working as a site engineer for a private company in Sharjah. Following the incident, he was fired from the job.
Athulya’s family has accused Satheesh of being responsible for the 29-year-old’s death in Sharjah. After the release of disturbing evidence, including visuals showing Athulya being abused by Satheesh in their shared apartment, the Chavara Thekkumbhagam police registered a case under charges of murder, dowry harassment, and physical assault.
A special investigation team has been formed under the supervision of Karunagappally ASP Anjali Bhavana. The eight-member team, led by the Thekkumbhagam Station House Officer, is in charge of the investigation. One of their immediate priorities is to recover Athulya’s mobile phone, which is believed to contain crucial video evidence of the abuse. The police have also started recording statements from Athulya’s family members and close friends.
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Authorities are initiating procedures to bring Satheesh back to India from Sharjah. A lookout notice will be issued if necessary. A relative stated that Satheesh had isolated Athulya and prevented her from interacting with others. Jisha Rejith, a family acquaintance, told Asianet News that Athulya would not have taken her own life.
Years of Abuse Went Unchecked
Asianet News obtained a chilling voice message she had sent to a close friend. In the message, Athulya described being physically assaulted, saying, "He trampled me, and I feel like I can't go on. But even after everything, I still have to stand by him." She also confided that the only reason she hadn’t taken her own life was because she lacked the courage.
Athulya’s friend told Asianet News that problems began soon after she got engaged at 17 and married Satheesh at 18. She said Athulya faced both physical and mental abuse, but still loved Satheesh. Her family had asked her to leave the marriage and come back home, but Satheesh often apologized, saying he didn’t remember what he had done and that he was emotionally attached to her. Believing his words, Athulya decided to stay with him.
Athulya’s neighbor, Baby, told Asianet News that Athulya had spoken openly about the abuse from the start of her marriage. Her father, Rajasekharan Pillai, said his daughter would never take her own life. He had brought her back home earlier because of the harassment. He also said Athulya wanted to leave the marriage for good, and he was ready to help her, but Satheesh did not allow her to return home.
Satheesh says Athulya Assaulted due to ‘Love’
Satheesh denied accusations of daily abuse, saying, “I know it’s wrong to hit her, but it didn’t happen every day.” He dismissed the allegations as family exaggeration and called the matter “personal, like in every home.”
He also alleged that Athulya would hit him when angry, which he believed was also an expression of love. Showing marks on his body, Satheesh said he is unsure what led to Athulya’s death and insisted she would not have taken her own life. “Maybe she wanted to scare me, or something else happened. I want to know the truth,” he added.
“She is mine, and mine alone. That’s why it happened,” said 40-year-old Satheesh Sankar while speaking to the media two days after the death of his wife, Athulya, in Sharjah. The Kollam native admitted to physically assaulting his wife but claimed it was done "out of love" and only when he was drunk.
