- Twisha Sharma, 33, was found hanging at her home in Bhopal's Katara Hills earlier this month
- Samarth Singh, her husband, surfaced 10 days after his death and surrendered before a court
- The victim's husband, sources said, is "not cooperating" with investigators and avoiding questions
Samarth Singh, the lawyer husband of Twisha Sharma - who was found dead at her marital home earlier this month - is "not cooperating" with investigators, sources have told NDTV.
The victim's husband, who had been missing since her death, surfaced after 10 days and went to a Jabalpur court to surrender hours after withdrawing his anticipatory bail application in the Madhya Pradesh High Court last week.
A reward of Rs 10,000 was announced by the police for any information on him. The amount was later hiked to Rs 30,000.
Twisha, 33, was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal's Katara Hills area on May 12. Initial reports said it was suicide, but then the case took a different turn.
WhatsApp chats between Twisha and her mother have revealed that she felt 'trapped' in an unhappy marriage and was being mentally harassed. The 33-year-old was emotionally distressed and repeatedly asked her mother to come and take her back home.
Twisha's husband has failed to answer several questions being asked by the Special Investigation Team, or SIT, while investigators also appear unconvinced by some of the answers he has given, sources have told NDTV.
A team of the SIT is likely to take Samarath, who is in a 7-day police custody, to his residence for reconstruction of the crime scene, the sources said further.
Samarth Singh, sources said, has been trying to evade several police questions.
The questions range from where the accused was during the 10-day hiding period, the sources said.
In another development, the Supreme Court today said it will ensure the investigation in the case is fair, independent, and impartial.
Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Madhya Pradesh government, informed the top court that the CBI would take over the investigation immediately and assured that the necessary administrative formalities would be completed without delay.
The CBI is expected to take Samarth Singh's custody.
Appealing to the media to exercise restraint, the top court requested news platforms to avoid recording or publishing statements of persons who may be potential witnesses in the case, saying such coverage could affect the outcome of issues yet to be investigated.
The top court had taken suo motu cognisance of the matter amid concerns over alleged procedural lapses, including delay in FIR registration, inconsistencies in post-mortem findings, and apprehensions of bias in the investigation.
