Army Major Arrested by Hyderabad Police After Wife Found Hanging

Radio jockey Sandhya Singh, the wife of an Army Major, was found hanging at her quarter in Hyderabad on 18 April.

Sandhya was allegedly being harassed by her Army Major husband’s family for dowry. (Photo Courtesy: Facebook / Radio Charminar 107.8 FM)

Two weeks after 30-year-old radio jockey Sandhya Singh was found hanging at the Army Quarters in Bolarum in Hyderabad, her husband – an Army Major – has been arrested.

Major Vaibhav Vishal was arrested by the North Zone police on Wednesday and sent to 14-day judicial remand after being produced in a local court. Sandhya, a native of Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, married Vishal a year-and-a-half ago. The couple had moved to Hyderabad six months ago.

On 18 April, Sandhya was found hanging at the Army quarters, by her husband, who then alerted police. There was no suicide note.

Initially, police registered a case of suicide. However, the victim’s sister Uma Singh later filed a dowry harassment case against the husband.

Soon after Sandhya’s death, Vishal was admitted in the ICU of an Army Hospital after he complained of chest pain.

According to Deccan Chronicle, Sandhya’s family said that theirs was a love marriage. The family also alleged that as Sandhya belonged to a lower caste, Vishal had been harassing her for dowry.

In a meeting to fix their marriage, the family members of Vaibhav demanded Rs 20 lakh dowry. We refused to give dowry and they left the place. Subsequently, Vaibhav and Sandhya fell in love and had an Arya Samaj wedding on 22 September 2015, without informing their families.

Uma to <i>The Times of India</i>

Major Vishal has been declared fit and will be handed over to the Bolarum Inspector.

It was reported that he had been charged under Sections 304 (b) of IPC (dowry death) and the SC/S T (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. Police are also on the lookout for Vaibhav's mother and sister.

(The article was first published in The News Minute)