Satna suicide case: Youth held for abetment; ex-MLA’s wife booked for negligence

BHOPAL: Four days after a 24-year-old woman allegedly died by suicide using a licensed pistol at the residence of former Congress MLA Nilanshu Chaturvedi in Satna, police arrested a youth from Banda district in Uttar Pradesh for abetment to suicide.Police also booked the former MLA’s wife, Archana Sharma, under relevant sections of the Arms Act for mishandling a licensed weapon—the pistol, which was registered in her name, was used in the suicide.The arrested youth, Arvind Yadav, was reportedly in a relationship with the deceased, Suman Nishad. Suman, who worked as domestic help along with her mother at Chaturvedi’s house, allegedly shot herself in the right temple with the licensed firearm on July 29.

The pistol belonged to Archana Sharma, who has now been booked under the Arms Act for negligence in storing the weapon.According to police, Suman and Arvind were in a relationship. Her family recently arranged her marriage to someone else, which reportedly caused tension. Investigators said Arvind gifted her a mobile phone, which was earlier found by her family, leading to frequent arguments."A day before the incident, her family again caught her using the phone.

The next day, she took the extreme step. We arrested Arvind Yadav, and he has been booked under relevant sections of the IPC for abetment to suicide," SP Satna Ashutosh Gupta told TOI."The licensee of the weapon used in the incident, Archana Sharma, has also been booked under relevant sections of the Arms Act for negligent handling of the firearm," he added.Police believe emotional stress from the broken relationship and family pressure triggered the suicide.

Suman was found injured inside the bathroom on the third floor of Chaturvedi’s residence and was later declared dead at Janaki Kund Hospital.The family reportedly did not initially suspect any foul play, but subsequent investigations and mobile phone data pointed toward Arvind’s involvement, officials said. Meanwhile, police confirmed that Archana Sharma, wife of the former MLA, has been charged under the Arms Act for allegedly failing to safely secure her licensed firearm, which was used in the incident. Further investigation is underway, sources added.