Two weeks after 30-year-old Radio Jockey Sandhya Singh was found hanging at the Army Quarters in Bolarum in Hyderabad, her husband, an Army Major, has been arrested.
Major Vaibhav Vishal was arrested by the North Zone police on Wednesday and sent to 14-day judicial remand after he was produced in a local court.
Sandhya, who was a native of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, married Vishal a year and a half ago. The couple moved to Hyderabad six months ago.
On April 18, Sandhya was found hanging by her husband at the Army Quarters who then alerted the police. There was no suicide note.
Initially, police registered a case of suicide. However, the victim’s sister Uma Singh filed a dowry harassment case against the husband later.
Soon after Sandhya’s death, Vishal was admitted in the ICU of an Army Hospital after he complained of chest pain.
According to the Deccan Chronicle, Sandhya’s family said that it was a love marriage. The family also alleged that as Sandhya belonged to a lower caste, Vishal had been harassing her for dowry.
“In a meeting to fix their marriage, the family members of Vaibhav demanded Rs. 20 lakh dowry. We refused to give dowry and they left the place. Subsequently, Vaibhav and Sandhya fell in love and had an Arya Samaj wedding on September 22, 2015, without informing their families,” Uma told Times of India.
On Wednesday morning, military officials reportedly informed the police that Major Vishal was fit and would be handed over to the Bolarum Inspector.
It was reported that he has been charged under sections 304 (b) of IPC (dowry death) and the SC/S T (Prevention of Atrocities) Act.
The police are also on the lookout for Vaibhav's mother, and his sister.