HAZARIBAGH: A woman set herself on fire allegedly due to harassment by her in-laws despite donating one of her kidneys to her husband as a part of a dowry deal about six months ago in Jharkhand’s Hazaribagh district.

Poonam Devi, a 28-year-old mother of two, died in a hospital here on Tuesday, a week after she set herself on fire.

According to an FIR filed by the victim’s family, Devi’s mother-in-law had been torturing her for dowry for years. Six months ago her husband Sudama Giri fell sick after his kidneys failed. His mother gave Devi a written undertaking that they would treat her well and stop asking for another Rs 25,000 as dowry from her father if she donated one of her kidneys to Giri.

Giri’s family had taken Rs 1.31 lakh from Devi’s father Barhan Bharati at the time of marriage in 2006.

In his FIR, Bharati who is from Koderma district alleged that Giri’s family kept on pestering Devi for more money. Devi agreed to donate her kidney after her in-laws promised to not torture her for dowry anymore.

But they did not stop and she set herself on fire on April 16. She was admitted to a hospital in Ranchi with severe burns. Her body was brought to Hazaribagh on Wednesday.

Police are yet to arrest Devi’s in-laws. Hazaribagh SP Manoj Kaushik said, “I have taken up the matter and action will be taken against the guilty after investigation.”