Forensics deepen Twisha Sharma death probe
A sealed 11-page forensic report submitted by an AIIMS Delhi medical board to the CBI on July 10 has provided a scientific anchor in the death of 33-year-old former model and actress Twisha Sharma. Laboratory and histopathological tests detected the victim’s skin tissue on a gymnastics belt with a metal ring, the alleged ligature, and confirmed it matched the injury pattern on her neck.
The five-member board, which carried out a court-ordered second post-mortem in Bhopal on May 24, called its conclusion ‘crystal-clear’ after a thorough review of national and international research. Dr Sudhir Gupta, Head of Forensic Medicine at AIIMS Delhi, and the board spent nearly a month carefully considering the evidence.
Their findings make the connection between the belt and the ligature mark stronger, but do not confirm whether the hanging was self-inflicted or caused by someone else.
Twisha married Bhopal lawyer Samarth Singh in December 2025 after meeting him on a dating app.
She was found hanging at their home in Bhopal’s Katara Hills on May 12, 2026, just five months later.
According to the FIR, Samarth said he found Twisha hanging around 10:20 pm and took her to AIIMS Bhopal, where doctors declared her dead on arrival.
Her family tells a different story: at 9:41 pm, Twisha was on a call with her mother when shouting was heard, and then the call ended. After that, calls went unanswered until her mother-in-law, retired district judge Giribala Singh, answered and reportedly said, “She is no more,” before hanging up.
Twisha’s family, which includes members of the armed forces, has repeatedly accused Samarth and Giribala of dowry-related harassment, mental and physical abuse, and domestic violence. The CBI FIR also notes claims that the mother-in-law demanded a ?2 lakh dowry and refused to give Twisha money for her personal needs. The in-laws deny all these accusations, saying Twisha made her own decisions and struggled with mental health issues that led to suicide.
The first post-mortem at AIIMS Bhopal found that Twisha died from “antemortem hanging by ligature” and showed signs of asphyxia, such as facial congestion, petechial haemorrhages, and Tardieu’s spots in the lungs. The report also listed several blunt-force injuries before death: abrasions on the left side of her neck, bruises on her left upper arm and forearm, right wrist, right ring finger, and a 2 cm by 2 cm bruise under the scalp in the left frontoparietal area. Two small bruised patches were also found in the tissue beneath the ligature mark.
The Madhya Pradesh High Court, noting problems in the case, ordered a second autopsy by experts from AIIMS Delhi and later handed the investigation to the CBI. Samarth was arrested on May 22 after reportedly fleeing, and Giribala’s anticipatory bail was cancelled before she was arrested on May 28. Both are still in judicial custody. The CBI has recreated the crime scene at the Katara Hills home using dummies. The new AIIMS report is a key piece of evidence, confirming that this specific belt touched her neck in a way that matches her injuries.
However, the report does not answer the main question: whether Twisha used the belt herself in a moment of despair or someone else used it on her. The short time between her distressed phone call and when her body was found, along with her earlier injuries, keeps her family suspicious.
As the CBI reviews the sealed report along with digital evidence, call records, and witness statements, the case highlights common problems in Indian dowry-death investigations. It is often hard to tell the difference between abetment or murder and suicide when there are no direct witnesses, and forensic evidence needs more proof to show criminal intent.
For Twisha’s family, the AIIMS findings provide the scientific proof they have been seeking. For the accused and investigators, the findings are another piece of evidence in an investigation that still needs to clearly show what happened in Twisha’s final minutes on May 12. The gymnastics belt is now forensically linked to her fatal injuries, but it is still unclear who used it and why.
