Judge, Son Died Allegedly After Eating Poisoned Chapatis, 6 Arrested

Days after a judge and his son died in Madhya Pradesh after eating poisoned chapatis, six people, including a woman and a "tantrik", have been arrested.

District additional and sessions judge Betul Mahendra Tripathi and his 33-year-old son died on Sunday, two days after they fell ill at dinner.

The woman who has been arrested, Sandhya Singh, runs an NGO. She allegedly gave the judge's family poisoned atta or wheat flour after performing what she claimed was a puja to help "maintain harmony at their home".

The judge brought home the flour on July 20 and the same day the family had chapatis made of it at dinner. According to the police, the judge and his two sons ate the chapatis but his wife ate only rice. The judge and his older son started vomiting. The two were taken to hospital when they fell seriously ill on July 23.

On July 25, they both were shifted to a hospital in Nagpur after their condition worsened. The judge's son died the day they reached Nagpur. A day later, Judge Tripathi also died.

The judge's younger son Ashish also fell ill after eating the chapatis but he is recovering, said the police.

The police say their investigations point at a plan by Sandhya Singh to kill the judge, whom she knew from the time he was posted in Chhindwara.

Sandhya Singh allegedly wanted to target the judge and his family.

"Sandhya Singh was not able to meet Tripathi for four months after his family came to live with him in Betul... Out of frustration, she conspired to kill the judge's family," Superintendent of Police Simala Prasad said.

Singh, 45, asked the judge to give her wheat flour for a puja for his family, to help him "get rid of all his problems", the police officer said.

The police first arrested Sandhya Singh and her driver Sanju. Based on their interrogation, three more were arrested.

A tantrik (occultist) who allegedly advised the woman tried to escape but was arrested.