A 32-year-old woman was found dead in her Lucknow home, just five months after marrying a Merchant Navy officer. The deceased, identified as Madhu Singh, was allegedly subjected to dowry harassment and torture by her husband, Anurag Singh, whom her family accuses of murdering her. While Anurag claims that Madhu died by suicide, her family firmly believes she was killed.
The post-mortem report has confirmed hanging as the cause of death. Anurag has been arrested, and police are interrogating him to uncover the truth behind the tragedy. Madhu’s sister, Priya, described her as a cheerful and outgoing person, but alleged that Anurag had become increasingly controlling and did not allow her to speak to anyone.
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“He did not want her to have a social life; he would ask her not to talk to her friends or with us. We would speak only when he was out of town. He hit for absolutely no reason, such as keeping a plate where he did not want her to keep it. He pressured her to drink with him,” she said, according to the NDTV report.
Madhu had been cut off from all her friends after marriage and was allowed to use her phone only when Anurag wasn’t around, Priya said. “He would check her phone, call records and even her online orders.”
Priya mentioned that in their last conversation, Madhu had confided in her about Anurag’s latest assault. “They were returning from somewhere, and she was driving. The road had potholes and it was raining, so Madhu kept to the left. Anurag accused her of keeping to the left because she spotted some men there. That was the trigger of his last assault.”
Priya said she had offered to bring Madhu home, but Madhu had refused, fearing it would provoke another violent outburst from Anurag. In an audio recording shared by Priya, Madhu can be heard saying, “Mujhe bohot maara (he beat me up badly) because when he was drinking, I didn’t place the bottle right in front of him.”
According to the NDTV report, Madhu’s father, in his police complaint, has alleged that Anurag was having an extramarital affair and had recently spent a night with his ex-girlfriend at a hotel in the city. “My daughter had become pregnant, but he forced her to abort,” he stated. The family has also submitted hotel booking records from July 31, just four days before Madhu was found dead.
According to the complaint, on August 3 (Sunday), Madhu had confided in Priya once again, telling her that Anurag had assaulted her. The next day, at 4:32 pm, Anurag called Madhu’s father to inform him that she had died by suicide. “I believe he murdered my daughter,” the father said.
Madhu had reportedly discovered intimate chats between Anurag and his ex-girlfriend on his phone and had shared the screenshots with Priya. Anurag told the police that he found Madhu hanging from the ceiling around noon and called the 112 helpline. However, Madhu’s family was informed nearly five hours later, around 4:30 pm. Investigations have also revealed that Anurag had texted the maid earlier that morning, asking her not to come. The maid, unaware of the message, arrived for work, rang the bell several times, but no one answered. Phone records also show that Anurag ordered food online at around 10:30 am that day.
Anurag has now been arrested. During interrogation, he maintained that Madhu had died by suicide but was unable to explain what could have driven her to take such a step. He has been charged under sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita pertaining to cruelty and under the Dowry Prohibition Act.
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Police sources also said that after his arrest, Anurag repeatedly asked for cigarettes while in custody.
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