A 32-year-old woman, married just five months ago to a Merchant Navy officer, was found dead in her Lucknow home in what police are investigating as a case of dowry-linked abuse and suspected murder.
Madhu Singh, whose body was discovered hanging from a ceiling fan, had married Anurag Singh, a second officer working for a Hong Kong-based shipping firm, on February 25 this year. While Anurag has claimed that Madhu died by suicide, her family insists otherwise. They allege a prolonged pattern of harassment, violence and coercion for dowry, and now accuse Anurag of murdering her.
According to police, the post-mortem confirmed death by hanging. However, inconsistencies in Anurag’s statements and a trail of digital evidence have prompted authorities to arrest him. He is now being questioned under charges of cruelty and dowry harassment under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and the Dowry Prohibition Act, reported NDTV.
A Marriage Marked by Demands
Madhu and Anurag met through a matrimonial site, and the grand wedding allegedly came with a price. According to Madhu’s family, Anurag demanded Rs 15 lakh in dowry, which they could not fully meet. WhatsApp messages show him repeatedly insisting on the amount, despite her family saying they could only afford Rs 5 lakh.
Even after the wedding, Madhu’s father, Fateh Bahadur Singh, said Anurag kept pressuring them for more money. The first signs of physical abuse surfaced within weeks. “After Holi, he assaulted her for the first time,” the father said in his police complaint. Madhu returned to her parents’ home, only to be taken back after the remaining dowry was paid, but the abuse, her father said, never stopped.
'He Isolated Her Completely'
Madhu’s sister Priya said Anurag isolated her from everyone after the marriage. “She was full of life before marriage,” Priya said, “but he cut her off from everyone. She couldn’t speak to us unless he was out of town.”
“He beat her over the smallest things: placing a plate in the wrong spot or not pouring him a drink fast enough,” Priya alleged further. She said Madhu was not allowed to speak to friends, and that her phone, call logs and even online shopping history were constantly monitored.
In one audio clip shared by the family, Madhu is heard sobbing: "Mujhe bohut mara (he beat me up badly)... because I didn’t place the bottle in front of him while he was drinking."
Priya also recalled one of their last conversations, when Madhu described how a minor disagreement turned violent. Anurag accused her of ogling other men while driving through a pothole-ridden road during the rain. "That was his trigger," Priya said.
Affair, Pregnancy and an Alleged Abortion
The family's anguish deepened with revelations of Anurag’s extramarital affair. Madhu’s father alleged that Anurag spent a night with his ex-girlfriend at a local hotel on July 31, just four days before Madhu was found dead. The family has provided details of the booking to the police.
Further, the father said Madhu had become pregnant, but Anurag forced her to undergo an abortion. She had discovered messages on his phone between him and the other woman and had shared them with her family.
“On August 3, she told Priya he had beaten her again,” Fateh Bahadur said. “Then, on August 4, at 4.32 pm, he called to say she had died by suicide. I believe he killed my daughter.”
Delayed Alert and Suspicious Gaps
Anurag has told the police that he discovered Madhu hanging around noon and immediately called the emergency helpline. However, the family was not informed until nearly five hours later. Police are also investigating why he told the housemaid not to come that day. She arrived anyway, knocked repeatedly, but no one answered the door.
Further raising questions, Anurag ordered food online at around 10.30 that morning, an hour and a half before he claimed to have found her.
Following his arrest, police noted Anurag repeatedly asked for cigarettes while in custody. When questioned about what may have driven Madhu to take such a step if, indeed, it was suicide, he allegedly had no answer.