"She Lost 15 kg, Was Being Harassed": Twisha Sharma's Cousin To NDTV

Days after 33-year-old Twisha Sharma was found dead at her marital home in Bhopal, her cousin Meenakshi shared with NDTV some of her last messages. Twisha was discovered hanging at her husband Samarth Singh's house in Bhopal's Katara Hills area on May 12. Samarth, a lawyer, is currently on the run. Police have registered a case of dowry harassment and abetment to suicide against him and his mother, Giribala Singh, a retired judge. 

The couple met through a dating app in 2024 and got married in 2025, but Twisha's cousin Meenakshi described a sharp change in her behaviour after marriage.

"Before marriage, we used to meet every day. We used to go out every day. We used to talk every day. She was such a jolly and happening girl," Meenakshi told NDTV. "After marriage, she was talking less to me. I asked her what happened. She said she would call but she never did. She sent me a message saying, 'I am trapped.' I texted her that I was worried about her, but her call never came." 

"After marriage, it is not that the girl becomes quiet suddenly. She lost 15 kgs of weight," Meenakshi added.

#NDTVExclusive | "She was being mentally harassed": Twisha Sharma's cousin Meenakshi to NDTV's Harpreet Kaur#TwishaSharma pic.twitter.com/cqnpGPLFsI

— NDTV (@ndtv) May 18, 2026

Meenakshi alleged that Samarth's family mentally tortured Twisha after she lost her work-from-home job in Bhopal. 

"She was being harassed. 'How will you get a job now?' 'You are not educated," Meenakshi recounted as accusations made against Twisha. 

She added that when Twisha became pregnant, Samarth refused to acknowledge the child as his. 

"There is proof of this, Twisha wrote to her mother saying, 'Mummy, he is asking me whose child is this, how can I calm down, how can I keep quiet?'" Meenakshi said. 

In the days before her death, Twisha sent messages to friends and family expressing frustration and anxiety.

In a WhatsApp chat with Meenakshi on May 7, she wrote: "I have been under anxiety because I am sitting at home. I want to do something with my life. Shaadi makes your family, but you cannot stop working on yourself, for yourself regardless where you are." She advised her friend: "Shaadi ki khujli me shaadi mat karna. Soch samaj kar aage badhna." (Don't rush into marriage just out of an urge to get married. Move ahead only after thinking it through carefully.)

When her friend expressed worry, Twisha replied: "Main theek hoon. Mujhe bas ghar ki bahut yaad aati hai. Teri yaad aati hai." (I'm fine. I just miss home a lot. I miss you.)

In an Instagram conversation, she wrote: "I am trapped bro. Bas tu mat phasna. Can't talk much. I will call when the time is right."

Chats With Her mother

Messages between Twisha and her mother detailed her growing distress. On April 30 she wrote: "Kyu bheja mujhe yaha. Ye yaha baat hi nahi kar raha hai." (Why did you send me to Bhopal? He isn't talking to me.) Bhopal bula kar phir se sab natak. (He called me to Bhopal only to stage the same old drama all over again.) Mera jeevan narak ho gaya hai mummy." (My life has become a living hell, Mom.)

On May 7 she pleaded: "Maa aap mujhe yaha se lene aajao kal please." (Please come and pick me up from here tomorrow.) 

She said it seemed her husband no longer needed her and had been "tolerating" her for a year. She asked her mother to come alone. 

Twisha also wrote about feeling lonely and blamed her "bad deeds" for her situation. She alleged her husband questioned the paternity of her child and forced an abortion. In messages sent on May 9 she said: "Mujhe pooch raha hai vo kiska bacha tha, aur main ignore karu??? ... Ye apne ghatiya pane ki har limit cross kar ke baitha hai. Kaise reh lu iske saath." (He is asking me whose child it was and you expect me to just ignore it? ... He has crossed every limit. How am I supposed to live with him?)

She told her mother: "Mummy yaha par mai bas pagal ho jaungi. Mujhse nahi ho pa raha ab ye sab." (Mom, I'm going to go crazy here. I just can't take this anymore.) 

Twisha claimed her husband demanded that her father apologise by rubbing his nose on the ground. She described her husband and mother-in-law as ruthless and said she felt suffocated. "Mujhe bhaut zyada ghutan ho rahi hai maa." (I feel suffocated, Mother.) "Na rone denge ye log na hasne ki vajah denge. Main to bhaut buri tarah phas gayi hu." (These people won't let me cry, nor will they give me any reason to laugh. I've gotten myself trapped.)

In her final exchanges, Twisha said she did not feel like talking to anyone. She told her mother that if spoken to normally, she would respond in kind. "Baat karega normal toh mai bhi karugi he na. Mujhe koi acha thodi lag raha hai yaha." (If he talks normally, then I will too. It's not like I'm enjoying being here.)

Final Hours

According to her family, Twisha called her mother at 10:05 pm on May 12 and described her situation. Her brother, Major Harshit Sharma of the Indian Army, said the call ended abruptly when her husband entered the room. The family tried repeatedly to contact Twisha, Samarth, and Giribala Singh but received no response.

At 10:15 pm, Giribala Singh answered and was asked to check on Twisha. Five minutes later, at 10:20 pm, the family was told Twisha was "not breathing". She was taken to hospital and declared dead on arrival. The family alleges there was a delay in reaching the hospital, which they say is only 10 minutes away.

A short post-mortem report stated the cause of death as antemortem hanging by ligature. It also noted multiple injuries on other parts of the body.

Twisha's family has protested outside Chief Minister Mohan Yadav's residence in Bhopal, demanding a fresh post-mortem at AIIMS Delhi. They say her body remained in the AIIMS Bhopal mortuary for five days. Her father Navnidhi Sharma and cousin Ashish Sharma described running from one police station to another, the women's commission, and other offices in their search for justice. 

"All we have witnessed is horror," Ashish Sharma told NDTV.

The family has accused Samarth Singh and Giribala Singh of murder. 

Assistant Commissioner of Police Rajneesh Kashyap, heading the SIT, said efforts are underway to trace and arrest Samarth.