Husband surrenders in Bhopal dowry death case

On a day of swift developments in the death of former 32-year-old model-actor, Twisha Sharma, Bhopal police on Friday took custody of her husband, Samarth Singh, who was on the run for over a week, and the Madhya Pradesh high court ordered a second autopsy by an AIIMS Delhi team as requested by her family.

- Shruti Tomar and Monika Pandey

The actor was found dead at her home in Bhopal's Katara Hills area on May 12 with her family alleging that she was harassed and abused over dowry.

Singh, the absconding lawyer-husband, withdrew his anticipatory bail application filed in the high court earlier in the day, and appeared at the Jabalpur district court in the evening to surrender. A team of Bhopal police took him in their custody and left for Bhopal, his lawyers said. Singh had attempted to surrender before the district court of Jabalpur but the court did not allow him. The high court judge AK Singh said, "The correct procedure in such type of cases is that accused if he apprehends torture at the hands of police then he may surrender before the trial court or otherwise before the investigating officer. If he surrenders before the investigating officer then he may formally arrest as per prevailing law."