CCTV Shows Twisha Sharma Walking to Rooftop; Husband Seen Carrying Body Down an Hour Later, Remains Absconding
Bhopal: CCTV footage accessed exclusively by India Today has emerged as a key piece of evidence in the alleged dowry death case of 33-year-old Twisha Sharma, showing her walking towards the rooftop of her Katara Hills home in Bhopal, and her husband Samarth Singh and two other men bringing her body down the staircase approximately an hour later.
The footage also appears to show attempts to administer CPR to Twisha on the stairs immediately after she was brought down. Her family has, however, informed police of a timing error in the CCTV system, stating that the date displayed in the footage is incorrect and that the video is from May 12, not May 10.
Twisha, who married lawyer Samarth Singh in December 2025 after meeting him through a dating app, was found hanging at her marital home on May 12. Her family has accused Samarth Singh and his in-laws of dowry harassment and murder. A Special Investigation Team is currently probing those allegations.
Husband Absconding, Rs 10,000 Reward Announced
Samarth Singh remains at large. A local court on Monday reserved its order on his anticipatory bail plea. His mother, retired judge Giribala Singh, has already been granted anticipatory bail.
Misrod ACP Rajneesh Kashyap Kaul, who is heading the SIT probe, said multiple teams had been deployed to trace the accused. “A reward of Rs 10,000 has been announced in the case. Correspondence has also been sent to the passport office so that constitutional action can be taken. Our six teams are engaged in the investigation,” he said.
The preliminary post-mortem report from AIIMS Bhopal indicated death due to “hanging suicide.” Kashyap said action would be taken if investigators were found negligent in failing to send the rope allegedly used in the hanging to AIIMS during the autopsy process.
Bail Plea Alleges Drug Use, Psychiatric Treatment
Details from Samarth Singh’s bail application have added a contested dimension to the case. The plea alleged that Twisha was addicted to drugs, suffered from psychiatric issues, and was undergoing counselling and medical treatment. It claimed she would become irritable and develop trembling hands when she did not have access to narcotic substances.
The application further alleged that Twisha travelled to Delhi on April 17 and remained untraceable for nearly 12 hours before reaching her parents’ house the following day. It also alleged her behaviour towards her in-laws changed after she became pregnant and that she subsequently suffered a miscarriage. The plea denied allegations of dowry harassment and claimed Twisha had regularly received online financial transfers from her in-laws, with transaction records ranging from Rs 5,000 to Rs 50,000 attached as evidence.
Speaking after securing bail, Giribala Singh defended her son and rejected the accusations. “Samarth and Twisha liked each other. Twisha came to our house first, then her parents came later. There was a huge difference between our families, but we still agreed to the marriage,” she said. She also claimed Twisha had consumed MTP pills on May 7 and had been taking medication. “The first child is very important, but she never let us feel that happiness even for a moment,” she added.
WhatsApp Chats: ‘My Life Has Become Hell’
WhatsApp messages exchanged between Twisha and her mother on May 7 five days before her death and accessed by India Today, show her pleading to be taken away from her marital home.
“I am very disturbed these people are very horrible. They keep suspecting me. Samarth asks whose child is in my womb,” she allegedly wrote in one message. In another, she told her mother: “Please come and take me away from here these people will not let me live.” She also wrote, “My life has become hell,” and, “These people are very cruel. Samarth does not even speak to me properly.”
The chats surfaced hours after Judge Pallavi Dwivedi’s court rejected Samarth Singh’s anticipatory bail plea.
Families Trade Allegations; Family Demands Second Post-Mortem
Twisha’s family has rejected all allegations made in the bail application, accusing the other side of attempting to tarnish her image after her death. On Sunday, her relatives staged a protest outside Chief Minister Mohan Yadav’s residence, demanding a second post-mortem examination at AIIMS Delhi. Her father, Navnidhi Sharma, alleged that the local investigation had been compromised.
The SIT is investigating allegations of dowry harassment, physical assault, and possible destruction of evidence. During court proceedings, Giribala Singh’s lawyer questioned the presence of army personnel near the court, asking: “Why are army people present in a civil matter? Who called them here?” The lawyer also referred to the family’s military background, noting that Samarth Singh’s father died in a militant ambush in Manipur in 1999 while transporting ballot boxes.