BSP MP Dhananjay Singh's wife Jagriti Singh, arrested for the murder of her domestic help
35-year-old Rakhi had allegedly been tortured ever since she started working for BSP MP Dhananjay Singh's wife Jagriti Singh, 10 months ago. On Monday, she died after a particularly savage beating through the Diwali weekend, all because she hadn't woken her employer on time.
Jagriti Singh, a dentist who has a three-year-old son, was arrested on Tuesday for the murder of her domestic help and the torture of a minor who also worked for her. Mr Singh has also been arrested for destruction of evidence and abetment to murder.
Rakhi had allegedly been burnt with hot iron rods and kicked repeatedly. She had burn marks all over her body and injuries on the chest, stomach, arms and legs. The minor has told the police that he and Rakhi were also beaten with a wooden replica of antlers hung up on a wall.
The lawmaker's wife claimed she had beaten the helps after she came across them in an intimate situation.
An independent candidate in last year's Uttar Pradesh assembly election, Jagriti Singh allegedly beat her staff at the slightest provocation, kept them locked in and under the constant surveillance of 20-odd cameras, including one in the bathroom.
The workers were allegedly told they would be shot if they tried to go out.
Mr Singh, who is an accused in a previous double murder case, was questioned at length before his arrest. Sources say he may have tried to help hide the body before he called the police at around 8 pm on Monday, nearly 12 hours after Rakhi allegedly died.
"I got a call three days back from Jagriti that the maid was injured after she fell from the terrace. Yesterday evening, I again got a call saying she has died, I rushed back from my constituency Jaunpur and called the police," Mr Singh told reporters.
The 38-year-old politician claims he and his wife are going through a divorce and he stayed at a different house.
This case has emerged weeks after a 15-year-old girl was rescued from an upscale south Delhi home, semi-naked and bearing brutal marks of
torture all over her body.