Twisha dowry death: Mother-in-law seeks recording of DVR contents by police

The family of the 33-year-old model turned actor accused her in-laws of pushing their daughter to death.

Former district judge Giribala Singh, an accused in the death of Noida resident Twisha Sharma, who died following alleged dowry harassment last week, moved an application before a magistrate here on Thursday claiming that the police failed to record the contents of a seized DVR, and prayed that it be reopened in the presence of independent witnesses to record a formal entry.

A Digital Video Recorder (DVR) is among the items seized by the police during the probe following Twisha's death on May 12.

In the application filed before the Judicial Magistrate First Class, Singh, Twisha's mother-in-law, stated that the eight CCTV cameras installed at her residence were maintained by a private firm that had not regularly serviced the equipment.

Consequently, the timestamp on the footage shows a discrepancy of two days, two hours, and 20 minutes, creating confusion among the public, the plea said, adding that the family deemed it necessary to apprise the court so that appropriate instructions could be passed to the Special Investigation Team (SIT) probing the case.

The applicant further alleged that while seizing the DVR, the police did not detail the contents of the recorded footage in the seizure memo. The plea prayed that the DVR be reopened in the presence of independent witnesses, and the police should record a formal entry of its contents.

Singh also sought a direction to preserve the electronic devices of Twisha's relatives containing her WhatsApp chats, alleging that the deceased woman's family was using doctored text conversations to manipulate the narrative.

Twisha Sharma was found hanging at her marital home in Bhopal's Katara Hills area on May 12. The family of the 33-year-old model turned actor accused her in-laws of pushing their daughter to death. The Singhs claim she was addicted to drugs.

Police registered an FIR under Sections 80(2), 85, and 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyay Sanhita along with relevant sections of the Dowry Prohibition Act, naming her husband Samarth Singh and mother-in-law Giribala Singh.

Police have announced a cash reward for information leading to Samarth Singh's arrest and also approached the court for revocation of his passport.