Twisha Sharma case: CBI builds digital timeline, mother-son duo in custody
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) is reportedly reconstructing a minute-by-minute digital timeline of events inside the Bhopal home of retired district judge Giribala Singh, where her daughter-in-law Twisha Sharma was found dead on 12 May. The agency is deploying advanced forensic and digital tools to establish exactly what occurred in the final hours before Sharma's death.
How the Digital Reconstruction Works
According to reports, the CBI is merging multiple data streams — CCTV footage from the night of the incident, mobile phone activity, home Wi-Fi logs, internet search history, and Call Detail Records (CDR) — with forensic mapping of the three-storey residence. The virtual timeline is designed to pinpoint Twisha's location in her final moments, identify which devices were active, and track what online activity took place inside the house.
The CBI is also verifying whether any digital data was deleted, altered, or selectively withheld during the initial investigation by local police — a concern that has gained weight following allegations raised in court.
Mother-Son Duo Sent to CBI Custody
The investigative push intensified after a Bhopal district court on Friday remanded Giribala Singh and her son Samarth Singh to five-day CBI custody until 2 June. Special Judge Shobhana Bhalave approved the remand to question the mother-son duo on allegations of dowry harassment, cruelty, and suspected abetment.
CBI officials told the court that custodial interrogation was necessary to confront the accused with electronic evidence recovered from multiple devices. Giribala Singh was arrested from her Katara Hills home on Thursday, a day after the Madhya Pradesh High Court quashed her anticipatory bail. The court, while cancelling the interim relief, noted that WhatsApp chats and family statements suggested the allegations were not confined to her husband alone.
Allegations of Tampered Evidence and Selective Records
Following the remand order, Twisha's family counsel, advocate Anurag Srivastava, alleged significant gaps in the early stages of the probe. 'There were around 40 to 45 mobile numbers involved, but initially there were no call records from Giribala Singh's phone,' he said.
Srivastava further alleged that records later showed continuous conversations among several persons, and that some police officials also figured in those call records. He claimed the call details submitted in court were selective and alleged that CCTV footage had been tampered with before seizure — allegations that the CBI is now reportedly probing as part of its broader inquiry.
Background and What Comes Next
Twisha Sharma was found dead on 12 May at the residence of her mother-in-law, retired district judge Giribala Singh, in Bhopal, Madhya Pradesh. The case drew scrutiny after allegations of dowry harassment and cruelty surfaced, prompting the CBI to take over from local police. The five-day custody period runs until 2 June, after which investigators are expected to seek further remand or file a formal charge-sheet based on the digital and forensic evidence gathered. The outcome of the digital reconstruction could prove pivotal in establishing the sequence of events that led to Twisha's death.