New Delhi (India) May 28: CBI arrested Giribala Singh, mother-in-law of Twisha Sharma, who was found hanging in her marital home earlier this month in Bhopal.
Dowry Death And Cruelty Charges Filed
CBI investigators visited Giribala Singh’s house on Thursday at about 10:30 AM and interrogated her for hours before arresting her around 5:10 PM.
Serious allegations against her are based on Section 80(2) (Dowry death), Section 85 (Cruelty by husband or relatives of the husband to a woman), Section 3(5) (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention), besides Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act, 1961.
High Court Cancels Anticipatory Bail Relief
Her arrest comes after MP High Court canceled her anticipatory bail application and set aside the relief granted to her on 15 May, by the 10th Additional Sessions Judge, Bhopal.
Advocate General of Madhya Pradesh Prashant Singh said, “The High Court has taken serious note of certain observations in the case, like seven antemortem injuries on the body of Twisha Sharma, indicating towards a serious crime, non-cooperation by Giribala Singh despite several notices and WhatsApp chats indicating mental harassment of Twisha Sharma. Looking at all this, the High Court has rejected the anticipatory bail of Giribala Singh. Now, it is up to the CBI to decide whether or not a custodial interrogation needs to be done."
HC Raises Concerns over Evidence Tampering
The HC had noticed that statements of parents of Twisha and her other relatives are saying that from the first day of investigation it was Samarth Singh and Giribala Singh who were harassing Twisha. The HC is deeply concerned about this statement which says Giribala Singh, a retired judicial officer well versed in cyber crime, cyber forensic and crime scene management, has used her judicial training to manipulate the evidence to control investigation.
Earlier on Wednesday, a court in Bhopal sent Twisha Sharma’s husband Samarth Singh to CBI custody. Samarth was then taken to Giribala Singh's house in Katara Hills by a CBI team to have more insights for investigations.
CBI Takes Over Twisha Sharma Death Probe
On Monday, CBI assumed the lead in the investigation launched into the death of the former model-actor Twisha Sharma. On May 12, she was discovered hanging at her matrimonial house in Bhopal. The agency subsequently re-registered the FIR, which was previously filed by Madhya Pradesh Police, against Samarth Singh and Giribala Singh.