Ongole: A 42-year-old woman from Prakasam, a homoeopathy doctor, allegedly committed suicide in California recently. Her family members suspect that she might have taken the extreme step unable to bear the harassment of her husband.

Donapati Padmasri from Ardaveedu mandal had married D. Nandakishore Reddy of Giddalur, a software engineer working in California, in 1999. Her family had given Rs 10 lakh as dowry at the time of marriage but Mr Nandakishore had allegedly been harassing his wife for more dowry for a while.

The family also alleged that Mr Nandakishore Reddy was having an extramarital affair and had been pressurising Padmasri for a divorce.

She died under suspicious circumstances in California on January 10 and her body arrived at Giddalur for the funeral on Monday.

Padmasri’s mother Anasuyamma said that her daughter might have killed herself unable to bear the harassment of her son-in-law. “As a homeopathy doctor, my daughter was doing service in California. I had requested Nandakishore Reddy several times not to harass her,” she said.

Padmasri’s mother and brother Srinivasa Reddy have emailed a complaint to the California police against Mr Nandakishore Reddy, alleging that the latter was responsible for Padmasri’s death.