Merchant Navy officer's wife, 32, found dead in Lucknow: Family alleges murder amid dowry harassment claims

Mint

4 days ago

A 32-year-old woman, married just five months ago to a Merchant Navy officer, has been found dead under suspicious circumstances at her residence in Lucknow. The woman, Madhu Singh, was discovered hanging from the ceiling. While her husband, Anurag Singh, has claimed it was a suicide, her family alleges a far darker truth: sustained dowry harassment, physical abuse and ultimately, murder.
Madhu Singh married Anurag Singh on 25 February this year after meeting him through a matrimonial website. According to an NDTV report, Anurag was employed as a second officer with a Hong Kong-based ship management company.
According to Madhu's family, the marriage was overshadowed from the start by demands for dowry.
NDTV reported, Madhu's father, Fateh Bahadur Singh, alleging that Anurag demanded ₹ 15 lakh in dowry prior to the wedding, despite the family stating they could only afford ₹ 5 lakh.
WhatsApp chats accessed by the family reportedly show Anurag insisting on the amount, stating he would limit the wedding to '150 baaratis' but would not compromise on money.
Just weeks after the wedding between Anurag and Madhu, the violence allegedly began. Following the festival of Holi, Madhu returned to her parents' home after being assaulted. Her father claims the full dowry was paid at that point, after which Anurag took her back, but the abuse continued.
Anurag would physically assault Madhu over trivial matters — from placing household items incorrectly to not serving alcohol the way he wanted
Madhu's sister, Priya Singh, said the young woman had become isolated from her friends and family due to Anurag's controlling behaviour. 'He didn't want her to speak to anyone. We could only talk when he was out of town,' she said.
Quoting Priya NDTV reports, Anurag would physically assault Madhu over trivial matters — from placing household items incorrectly to not serving alcohol the way he wanted. In an audio clip shared with the media, Madhu is heard saying, 'Mujhe bohot maara (he beat me up badly) because I didn't place the bottle in front of him while he was drinking.'
In one of their final conversations, Madhu told Priya that Anurag had accused her of eyeing men on the road while she was driving. 'He hit her because she was keeping to the left side of the road,' Priya recalled.
Madhu's father also accused Anurag of infidelity. According to his police complaint, Anurag recently spent a night at a local hotel with an ex-girlfriend, just days before Madhu's death. The family claims to have hotel booking records dated 31 July to support this.
More distressingly, he alleges that Madhu had become pregnant but was coerced into undergoing an abortion. The discovery of intimate chats between Anurag and his ex-girlfriend further strained their relationship.
On 3 August, Madhu reportedly informed her sister of yet another assault. The following day, at around 4.30 PM, Anurag informed the family that Madhu had died, hours after he claims to have found her hanging.
Lucknow Police have also confirmed that Anurag ordered food online around 10:30 am that day, hours before he reportedly found Madhu dead.
Anurag told police he found Madhu's body around noon and called the emergency helpline 112. However, the family says they were only informed in the late afternoon, raising questions about the timeline.
Further suspicions arose when investigators found that Anurag had texted the housemaid the morning Madhu was found dead, telling her not to come in. The maid, unaware of the message, showed up and rang the bell several times without any response.
Police have also confirmed to NDTV that Anurag ordered food online around 10:30 am that day, hours before he reportedly found Madhu dead.
Anurag has been arrested and is being interrogated. He has been charged under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for cruelty and under provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act. Police officials noted that during initial questioning, Anurag appeared evasive and continued asking for cigarettes while in custody.
Officers are now awaiting further forensic reports, and say they are exploring all angles, including the possibility of homicide.