Shailza Dwivedi was a finalist of Mrs India-Earth in 2017.
In a beauty contest form, Shailza Dwivedi, had described lack of women's safety as one that "bothers her the most". On Saturday, the 30-year-old was found on a road in Delhi with her throat slit -- allegedly by a man who was obsessed with her.
Police said Ms Dwivedi, wife of army officer Amit Dwivedi, was
killed because she refused to marry Major Nikhil Handa, an officer who served with her husband. The
officer was arrested from Meerut. The police say he tried to get rid of the evidence of the crime -- running over Ms Dwivedi's body to prevent detection and washing his car inside and out to get rid of the blood.
A finalist of Mrs India-Earth last year, Ms Dwivedi described herself as a "confident, bubbly, chirpy and happy go lucky girl", shows a section on "finalist details' in the beauty pageant's website.
About what bothers her most about what is happening in the country today, she had responded: "Safety of women in our country needs more effort than what is being done now. The numerous incidents of rape, molestation, acid attacks, domestic violence against women bothers me to the core."
To another question on achievement, she had responded, "Achievement for me is something done successfully with effort, skill, or courage. Academically, I am Double Masters with first division. Personally, I married the love of my life and blessed with a naughty and charming boy".
Ms Dwivedi and Major Handa had met in 2015 when her husband was posted in Nagaland. Once her husband was posted in Delhi, the two had kept in touch. The police told a Delhi court today that two had
exchanged more than 3,500 calls and messages since January.
Ms Dwivedi was murdered on Saturday when she had gone for a physiotherapy session. CCTV footage from outside the Army Base Hospital in the cantonment area showed her getting into a car. Her body was found soon after.
The police focused on finding Major Handa after Major Dwivedi told them about his suspicions. The day before, he had caught them during a video call. "He confronted his wife and Nikhil and warned him to not come close to his wife and his house," an officer of the Delhi Police said.