Patna: A woman was found dead in suspicious circumstances at a house in Patna’s Shastri Nagar area, with her family accusing her lawyer husband of murder linked to dowry harassment and a property dispute.
The body was recovered from the residence of advocate Rahul Singh, located in AG Colony under the Chetna Samiti area. The deceased was identified as his wife, Pinki Singh. Police said the exact cause of death was not yet clear and that the body had been sent to the Indira Gandhi Institute of Medical Sciences (IGIMS) for postmortem examination.
Pinki’s father, Pappu Singh, a resident of Machchharganwa village in East Champaran district, alleged that his daughter had been subjected to sustained harassment and violence over dowry and property demands. He accused his son-in-law of killing her to force the transfer of land into his name.
“My son-in-law called my son on the evening of January 9, and said Pinki had died by suicide,” Pappu Singh said. “But we do not believe this. I am still paying the loan instalments for the car that was given in dowry. I sold one bigha of my ancestral land to arrange her marriage.”
He added that the couple had a two-year-old son, whom Rahul Singh had kept with him and refused to hand over to the maternal family.
According to the family, Pinki was married to Rahul Singh on December 8, 2022. Pappu Singh said he had given Rs 12 lakh in cash and bought a car on loan as part of the marriage expenses. “The wedding was conducted with full rituals and dignity,” he said.
The father further alleged that in early 2025 his daughter was beaten and tortured again, after which pressure was mounted on him to transfer seven dhur of land purchased in the city into Rahul Singh’s name. “Because of the torture, I brought my daughter back home,” he said. “In December 2025, Rahul came to our village, said she would now stay with him in Patna, and after a compromise, he took her away.”
Following a written complaint by the woman’s family, police have taken Rahul Singh into custody for questioning. Officials said investigations were ongoing and that further action would depend on the postmortem report and forensic findings.
The case has reignited concerns over dowry-related violence and the vulnerability of women within marital homes, despite long-standing legal prohibitions. Police said they were treating the matter as a case of suspicious death and were examining all possible angles, including allegations of domestic violence, dowry harassment and murder.
