Another dowry death? Why Lucknow woman’s demise just months after marriage is drawing parallels to Twisha Sharma case

Another case of an alleged dowry death has surfaced in India. After Twisha Sharma and Deepika Nagar, who died allegedly by suicide this month after facing “dowry harassment”, a similar case is being reported from Lucknow.

A young woman was found dead at her marital home in Uttar Pradesh’s capital on Monday (May 25), just six months after her marriage. Her family has alleged she was killed following repeated demands for dowry by her in-laws.

We take a look at the case in detail.

‘Dowry death’ in Lucknow

Shweta Singh, 28, was found dead at her marital home in Lucknow’s Thakurganj area on Monday.

She had tied the knot with Bhupendra Pratap Singh, alias Shubham Singh, on November 22, 2025, PTI reported, citing the police complaint filed by her father.

More from Explainers

After her wedding, Shweta was living with Bhupendra and his family in Kashi Vihar Colony. Her parental home is reportedly located in the Vishwanagar-Malhai Tola locality of Thakurganj.

Shweta's father, Umesh Kumar Singh, said that he had spent “far beyond his financial means” on his daughter's wedding, as per NDTV. But Bhupendra and his family were demanding a four-wheeler as dowry.

Was Shweta Singh tortured?

Shweta’s family has alleged that she was subjected to persistent mental and physical harassment after marriage.

They alleged that disputes began soon after Shweta and Bhupendra’s wedding, with her in-laws repeatedly pushing the young bride to bring a four-wheeler and other expensive items as dowry, reported Times of India (TOI).

Shweta's two sisters, Komal and Jyoti, have accused Bhupendra, who reportedly works at a private pathology laboratory, and his father of demanding Rs 10 lakh and a Scorpio car at the time of vidaayi.

They said Shweta’s father had to fall on his knees and hold Bhupendra's feet with folded hands, as per the NDTV report.

The groom did not even allow his newlywed bride to bid a proper goodbye to her family and dragged her to the car, the sisters alleged.

The father, Umesh Kumar Singh, has alleged that his daughter was being mentally tortured every day, with her mother-in-law, along with her relatives, taunting Shweta.

Such behaviour left the young woman severely distressed.

“They started demanding a car shortly after the wedding. She was repeatedly harassed over dowry and was never happy there,” Shweta’s father alleged.

The victim’s sister-in-law, who lives in Noida, has been accused of using abusive language against Shweta and her family, even insulting them on social media.

Her family has also claimed that Shweta was forced to quit her job at HDFC Bank, where she was employed in the debit card department, soon after the marriage was fixed.

Her in-laws' alleged refusal to let her return to work was a cause of “frequent disputes”, as per the NDTV report.

Komal has claimed that her sister’s husband wanted to isolate her from her family. She alleged that Shweta was not allowed to meet her family, while Bhupendra has been accused of keeping his wife under “constant surveillance”.

Was it suicide or murder?

According to Shweta’s brother, Ashutosh Singh, the family received a call from his sister's in-laws around 11 am on Monday, claiming that she had died by suicide.

The family said that when they reached Shweta's marital residence, the body had already been taken down from the noose and shifted to the Trauma Centre of King George's Medical University, reported TOI. 

Her family members have alleged that the body was taken away before their arrival in order to tamper with evidence.

The victim's father has claimed his daughter’s death was a "pre-planned murder." She reportedly spoke to her father nearly two hours before her family learned of her death.

Shweta’s sister Jyoti asserted that she spoke to her over the phone on Sunday morning, asserting that she did not sound distressed or emotionally disturbed. F

As per the victim's family, Shweta had visited her ailing mother, Savita Singh, at a private hospital on Saturday night. She later returned to her in-laws’ residence, as per TOI. 

The victim’s remains were sent for post-mortem examination, which confirmed Shweta died by hanging, NDTV reported.

The police have filed a case against Shweta's husband Bhupendra Singh, his parents, brother and his wife under sections 80 (dowry death) and 85 (cruelty) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita and provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

"The complainant has accused the husband, mother-in-law, father-in-law, brother-in-law, and sister-in-law of murdering his daughter and subsequently hanging her body from a noose," police said, citing the victim's father's complaint.

Deputy commissioner of police (West Zone) Kamlesh Dixit said police have detained the woman’s husband and father-in-law for questioning. “The woman’s family has alleged dowry harassment and demand for a four-wheeler. The husband and father-in-law have been detained and are being questioned. The post-mortem examination is being conducted and further legal action will be taken based on the findings,” Dixit was quoted as saying by PTI.

With inputs from agencies