India’s top crime-fighting agency has arrested the mother-in-law of an Indian woman whose death sparked conflicting allegations of murder and suicide.
Twisha Sharma’s parents, siblings have alleged that she was tortured by her lawyer husband, Samarth Singh, and mother, retired judge Giribala Singh, over dowry demands and murdered, allegations they have denied.
The 33-year-old model and actor had only been married for five months when she was found dead at her marital home in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh, on May 12.
On Thursday, the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) arrested Giribala Singh after questioning her for several hours.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court had earlier quashed his anticipatory bail, finding that a trial court had ignored key evidence and testimonies.
After Twisha’s death, the police had registered a case of dowry death against the Singhs. Earlier this week, the investigation was taken over by the CBI.
Twisha’s death made national headlines and once again brought the issue of dowry deaths into the spotlight. Every year, thousands of women are murdered for bringing insufficient dowries, even though the practice was banned in 1961.
The case attracted a lot of attention because of the family’s prominence. Twisha was a former beauty pageant winner and actress, while her husband and mother-in-law were lawyers.
Twisha’s parents claim that the dowry harassment began soon after her marriage to Singh. They also claim that when she became pregnant, Singh and her mother accused her of infidelity and forced her to terminate the pregnancy.
The Singhs deny the allegations, saying Twisha had mental health issues and committed suicide. They also claim that the decision to terminate the pregnancy was hers.
Singh is currently in police custody. He reportedly fled after Twisha’s death and was arrested by police in Jabalpur on May 22.
Twisha was cremated on Sunday after a second autopsy. His family had claimed the first autopsy was flawed and accused police of a cover-up, a charge the police denied.