3 weeks after Uttarakhand minister Rekha Arya accused him of assault, her husband is arrested

More than three weeks after Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Rekha Arya accused her husband of assault, fraud, caste-based abuse, and conspiracy to murder, his husband Girdhari Lal Sahu has been arrested in Uttar Pradesh's Jhansi, police said. Sahu, 61, was apprehended by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) on Friday. The minister, who is responsible for Women Empowerment and Child Development, alleged that Sahu concealed his previous marriage and children from his first wife when they married in 2004.

She also claimed that Sahu subjected her to physical and verbal abuse and used caste-based slurs against her in front of colleagues. Arya further accused Sahu of using forged signatures and fabricated documents to remove her from the directorship of four companies without her knowledge or consent.

The police investigation identified Rathore as an alleged beneficiary of these changes, claiming he was appointed director in the four companies after Arya was removed. Arya posted a video on social media with an audio recording she said captured Sahu conspiring to have her killed. Sahu responded by releasing his own video denying the allegations, asking Arya to withdraw the complaint, and accusing her of possessing assets worth Rs 210 crore, disproportionate to her known income.

He also claimed the audio recording was generated using artificial intelligence. Police said Sahu is currently being questioned by the SIT as part of the ongoing investigation.