Anand Mohan Sahay in Patna/Rediff

Patna, Apr 26: A case of dowry torture has been lodged against beautician Shahnaz Hussain in Patna.

The case was lodged on the directive of a Patna court following a petition of Rabiya Hussain, widow of Shahnaz's only son Sameer Hussain, who died recently under mysterious circumstances.

"The court has directed the police to lodge a case of dowry torture under Section 498/A of the IPC against Shahnaz Hussain and to investigate into the case" a sub-inspector in Patna's Gandhi Maidan police station told rediff.com on Saturday.

Rabiya, who has filed a 40-page complaint petition in the chief judicial magistrate's court, Patna, said Shahnaz tortured her when she was pregnant for the first time.

She said that unbearable torture forced her to leave Shahnaz's house and return to her parents house in Patna.

Rabiya also charged that when she visited Delhi after her husband committed suicide to collect her belongings, which were given in dowry at the time of her marriage, she was ill treated and denied rights to her belongings on the order of Shahnaz.

She alleged that her mother-in-law Shahnaz is solely responsibly for her husband Sameer Hussain's suicide in Patna on January 6.

According to sources, Rabiya in her petition said that her husband Sameer committed suicide due to stress and tension created by Shahnaz.

Rabiya pointed out that Sameer was under depression since his mother Shahnaz married a man soon after the death of his father.

She further stated that when Sameer opposed the second marriage of Shahnaz, he was dropped from Shahnaz's business empire and properties.

Last month, the Bihar government recommended a CBI probe into the death of 34-year-old Sameer.

Earlier, Shahnaz said that her son Sameer was neither depressed, nor an alcoholic.

She also denied any rumour of her son being angry following her second marriage to noted entrepreneur R K Puri as suggested by Sameer's father-in-law and advocate Mahfooz Alam.