CBI charges husband, mother-in-law in Bhopal woman’s suicide case

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against the husband and mother-in-law of 31-year-old Tewisha Sharma,

The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) has filed a chargesheet against the husband and mother-in-law of 31-year-old Tewisha Sharma, who died by suicide at her in-laws’ home in Bhopal, India, just months after her marriage. The agency has accused the two of subjecting her to continuous mental harassment and abetting her suicide.

Tewisha was found hanging at her in-laws’ residence in the Katara Hills area of Bhopal on May 12. Her family had alleged that she was being harassed over dowry and had claimed that she may have been murdered.

Tewisha and her husband, Samarth Singh, had married by choice after meeting through a dating application in 2024. They got married in December 2025.

In its 30-page chargesheet submitted to the court on August 14, the CBI named Samarth Singh and his mother, Giri Bala Singh, as accused. According to the investigation, the couple allegedly subjected Tewisha to sustained emotional and psychological abuse. The agency alleged that her husband used derogatory language while referring to her past relationships, while her mother-in-law allegedly supported her son and ignored Tewisha’s complaints.

The chargesheet states that Tewisha sent a WhatsApp message to her sister-in-law only hours before her death, asking her to let her die peacefully. A few minutes later, CCTV footage reportedly showed her walking towards the roof of the house.

At around 9:41 p.m., Tewisha called her father while crying. According to the chargesheet, she told him that her husband had become extremely aggressive and violent and that she was frightened. She asked her parents to come to her immediately. She later spoke to her mother on the phone, but the call was disconnected.

At approximately 10:23 p.m., CCTV footage allegedly showed Samarth and his mother going towards the roof. Tewisha was subsequently brought downstairs and taken to AIIMS Bhopal, where she was declared dead at around 10:55 p.m.

The CBI also alleged that Tewisha had shares worth approximately INR 2 million in her demat account. According to the chargesheet, her husband and mother-in-law were pressuring her to transfer the money into a joint bank account. Tewisha allegedly refused, saying the money belonged to her father.

Several WhatsApp messages were also included in the chargesheet. In them, Tewisha reportedly described her life as a “hell” and asked her mother to take her away. In another message, she said she felt suffocated at home and could not see a future in the marriage.

The CBI said Tewisha had complained to her mother a day before her death that she was being blamed for her temperament and alleged drug use, while her husband’s alleged emotional neglect of her was being ignored.

An initial post-mortem concluded that she died from asphyxia caused by hanging. After her family challenged the findings, the Madhya Pradesh High Court ordered a second post-mortem by a medical board at AIIMS Delhi. The second examination also concluded that the cause of death was asphyxia due to hanging and classified the death as suicide. No significant injuries indicating physical assault were reportedly found on her body.

The CBI clarified that its case is not that Tewisha was physically murdered. Rather, it alleges that prolonged mental harassment and emotional abuse drove her to take her own life. A forensic psychological assessment also reportedly found signs of hopelessness, persistent mental distress and a lack of emotional support.