Patna doctor’s wife found dead, kin allege murder over extramarital affair; husband flees with kids

PATNA: A 36-year-old woman, Shristi Sinha, wife of a doctor, was found dead under deeply suspicious circumstances in her home here late Thursday evening, setting off shockwaves across the city and a police probe into what could be a cold-blooded murder disguised as suicide.Shristi, the wife of Dr Abhijit Sinha, was found hanging by her dupatta in a room at their residence in Buddha Colony. But what followed raised more questions than answers. Instead of alerting the police, her husband and in-laws allegedly rushed her body to the Patna Medical College Hospital (PMCH) for a post-mortem, without waiting for law enforcement to even reach the site.By the time the police were informed, hours later, Dr Abhijit had disappeared with their three young sons, aged 11, 9 and 7. A murder case has now been registered against three members of the in-law's side, including Dr Sinha and his mother, on the basis of a statement by Shristi's brother. According to police, the family alleged she was strangled with a dupatta and then hanged to fake a suicide, allegedly over her husband's extramarital affairs."The deceased's family alleged that she was strangled by the doctor using a dupatta in a suspected love affair," said Krishna Murari Prasad, SDPO (law and order). "The death seems suspicious as the husband and his family did not wait for the police before taking the body for post-mortem," he added.Shristi's mother and sister have outright rejected the suicide claim, saying she was mentally strong and would never take her own life. "She was murdered," her mother said with anguish, alleging that her daughter had long endured abuse over her husband's relationships with other women.Her sister, Jyotsna Sinha, who spoke to Shristi over a video call at 11am on Thursday, said she was cheerful and even made plans to celebrate her birthday on July 20. "She was happy and full of life," she said. But just two hours later, the family received a chilling phone call from Dr Abhijit, who claimed Shristi had hanged herself."For two hours, they kept misleading us, first saying she was being taken to a private hospital, then to PMCH. By the time we knew the truth, she had already been declared dead," said Jyotsna.The family said the children have been taken away and have not even seen their mother's face one last time.According to police sources, Shristi had been married to Dr Abhijit since 2012. A surgeon by profession, he works at the National Hospital in Begusarai and completed his MS from Katihar. His father, now deceased, retired as a customs commissioner. Shristi, originally from Nawada, was raising their three children in Patna.Police are now treating the case as a potential murder disguised as suicide. "The FSL team found injury marks on her neck and seized the dupatta suspected to have been used for strangulation," said the SDPO. "Shristi is believed to have died around 2 pm. If this were a suicide, her husband or family should have informed police immediately. Instead, they fled," he added.