CBI registers case over death of former actor-model Twisha Sharma in Bhopal

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has registered a case in connection with the death of former actor-model Twisha Sharma, who died by suicide at her marital home in Bhopal earlier this month, officials said on Monday.

The agency has named her husband, Samarth Singh, and mother-in-law, Giribala Singh, as accused after formally taking over the investigation from the Madhya Pradesh Police.

A Special Crime Unit team was sent to Bhopal earlier in the day to assume charge of the inquiry and collect documents and evidence linked to the case. The CBI subsequently re-registered the FIR originally filed by the state police, in line with standard procedure.

The agency invoked provisions under Sections 80(2), 85 and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita, along with relevant sections of the Dowry Prohibition Act, mirroring the charges already applied by local police.

Twisha Sharma, 33, was taken to AIIMS Bhopal by her husband on the night of 12 May. According to the FIR, he told doctors and police that she had hanged herself at their residence at around 10.20 pm. Hospital authorities informed police shortly after midnight that she had been brought dead, leading to the registration of a medico-legal case.

A post-mortem examination concluded that the cause of death was “antemortem hanging by ligature”. The report also recorded multiple simple injuries on different parts of the body, which doctors said were consistent with blunt force trauma.

Police registered the FIR on 15 May after receiving the post-mortem findings and statements from Sharma’s relatives. Her family alleged that she had faced harassment and abuse from her in-laws over dowry demands following her marriage in December 2025.

According to statements cited in the FIR, Sharma had spoken to her mother by phone shortly before her death. During the call, her husband was allegedly heard shouting before the line disconnected abruptly.

The family further claimed that repeated calls to Sharma’s phone were later answered by Giribala Singh, who allegedly informed a relative that “she is no more” before ending the call.

In media interviews, Giribala Singh has questioned Sharma’s mental health and medical treatment.

Hearing the matter on Monday, the Supreme Court said it would ensure that the investigation remains “fair, independent and impartial”.

A bench comprising Chief Justice of India Surya Kant and Justice Joymalya Bagchi urged both the victim’s and accused’s families to avoid making public statements that could affect the inquiry.

“We would like to impress upon the family members of the victim as well as the accused that instead of making statements in public or before a media platform, they should get their versions recorded before the investigating agency so that no prejudice or adverse impact is had on the ongoing investigation,” the bench observed.

With IANS inputs