Jharkhand actor Riya Kumari's husband arrested day after her murder
A day after Jharkhand-based actor Riya Kumari was reportedly shot to death at point-blank range in Howrah, West Bengal, the state police arrested her husband Prakash Kumar on Thursday (December 29), following a complaint against him by her family. Initially, it was reported that the actor-YouTuber was killed by a group of snatchers when she was traveling from Jharkhand to Kolkata along with Kumar.
Police found discrepancies in Kumar's statement
Swati Bhangalia, Superintendent of Police, Howrah (Rural), confirmed Kumar's arrest. She said, "He has been arrested on the basis of a complaint given by the girl's family and the circumstances in which the incident happened. [The] investigation is going on." Initially, Kumar had told the police about the "attempted highway robbery" but the police later found discrepancies and loopholes in his statement.
Kumari was shot near her right ear
The police also said that the 32-year-old's post-mortem report revealed that she suffered a bullet injury near her right ear and was shot dead at point-blank range. Per reports, Kumar, too, is in showbiz and works as a director-producer, while Kumari predominantly acted in Khortha, one of the local languages spoken in Jharkhand. Kumari was also known as Isha Alya.
Kumar's statement was reportedly riddled with logical loopholes
A police officer revealed Kumar's statement. "[Kumar] claimed three men attacked him and tried to rob his belongings but his wife came in between. They shot her and fled from the spot." However, the police's suspicion rose considering "it was 6:00am, yet no one noticed anything unusual" and "Kumar didn't say they were being followed, neither were they carrying cash or valuables."
Bullet shell remnants, excessive blood were found in their car
Reportedly, Kumari's family accused Kumar of "mentally and physically torturing Kumari," citing reasons that she was relatively more popular than him and also earned more money. The forensic experts reportedly noticed "an unusual amount of blood" and "a bullet shell's remnants" on the backseat of the car, which further pointed the needle of suspicion toward Kumar. He'll be produced in court on Thursday.
