The husband of Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Rekha Arya and his nephew have been arrested by a special investigation team (SIT) in connection with a case involving allegations of domestic violence, caste-based harassment, criminal conspiracy to murder the minister and forgery of company documents.
Girdhari Lal Sahu, 61, was arrested near a private university in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, on Friday, while his nephew, Satendra Rathore, 40, was apprehended in Bareilly. Both arrests were confirmed by Dehradun Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Dobhal on Saturday.
According to police, Sahu had been changing locations to evade arrest and was also suspected of travelling to neighbouring Nepal. The police launched an extensive search operation across Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand before tracing him to Jhansi. The arrests came nearly 25 days after the case was registered on October 15.
A nine-member SIT headed by SP Rural Jaya Baloni was constituted to investigate the allegations. Police said Rathore's involvement in the alleged forgery emerged during the investigation, following which his name was formally added to the FIR.
Allegations of murder conspiracy and domestic abuse
Arya, a Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MLA representing the Someshwar constituency in Almora district, approached the Dehradun police on October 15 and lodged a complaint against her husband at the Cantt police station.
In her complaint, the minister accused Sahu of concealing his previous marriage before marrying her and allegedly continuing relationships with other women. She further alleged that he had subjected her to domestic violence, harassment and caste-based insults.
The minister also accused her husband of conspiring with another woman to murder her. According to her allegations, the alleged conspiracy was discussed in telephone conversations between Sahu and the woman.
Arya claimed that Sahu had used casteist slurs against her and subjected her to physical and mental harassment. She also alleged that he had threatened her life.
The complaint further alleged that Sahu forged her signatures on official and company documents to remove her from administrative positions and directorships without her knowledge or consent.
The FIR was registered under several provisions of the Indian Penal Code (IPC), including Section 120-B (criminal conspiracy), Section 323 (voluntarily causing hurt), Section 420 (cheating), Sections 467, 468 and 471 (forgery and use of forged documents), Section 495 (concealment of a previous marriage), Section 498-A (cruelty by husband or relatives), Section 504 (intentional insult) and Section 506 (criminal intimidation). Relevant provisions of the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act were also invoked.
Police allege forged signatures used to remove minister from four companies
During the investigation, the SIT seized audio recordings connected with the case and recorded detailed statements from several witnesses.
SSP Pramendra Dobhal said preliminary evidence had substantiated allegations of casteist abuse, a conspiracy to murder the minister and the fabrication of documents to remove her as a director from four companies.
"Sahu colluded with his nephew Satendra Rathore to forge the minister's signatures and fabricate documents," Dobhal said.
According to the SSP, the two allegedly used the forged records to remove Arya from directorships in four companies: Devo Ke Dev Mahadev, Bankhandi Rudraksh Dham, Shree Ambe Auto Dealers Private Limited and Shree Bankhandi Dham Developers Private Limited.
Police alleged that the documents were fabricated to secure wrongful gains and appoint Rathore as a director in Arya's place.
The SSP said Rathore's active involvement in the alleged forgery emerged during the investigation, prompting the police to formally include his name in the FIR.
Minister shared audio recordings; husband called them AI-generated
After filing the complaint, Arya released a video statement on Facebook along with two audio clips purportedly containing conversations between Sahu and another woman.
The minister alleged that the recordings pointed towards a conspiracy to kill her. However, the authenticity of the audio clips has not been independently established.
Sahu subsequently rejected the allegations and claimed that the recordings had been generated using artificial intelligence (AI).
He also levelled counter-allegations against Arya, claiming that she had accumulated illegal assets worth approximately ₹210 crore. He urged Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to order an investigation into her alleged assets.
The allegations made by both sides remain subject to investigation.
Police cite criminal history, say more arrests possible
Dobhal described Sahu as a habitual offender and said at least 44 criminal cases had been registered against him at various police stations in Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
These cases reportedly include charges of murder, attempted murder, rioting and offences under the Gangster Act.
The SSP said separate police teams acted on specific information to arrest Sahu in Jhansi and Rathore in Bareilly.
"Our investigation into the matter is still underway, and more arrests can happen in the case," Dobhal said.
The SIT is continuing to examine the alleged forged documents, audio recordings and statements collected from witnesses.
Uttarakhand High Court rejects Sahu's plea
Sahu's arrest came two days after the Uttarakhand High Court dismissed his petition seeking protection from arrest and the quashing of criminal charges registered against him.
Justice Alok Mahra observed that the allegations prima facie disclosed serious cognisable offences and could not be dismissed as a mere matrimonial dispute.
The court also noted that the authenticity of the alleged forged documents and audio recordings would require examination during the investigation.
Sahu had approached the court seeking relief from the criminal proceedings initiated following Arya's complaint. However, the dismissal of his petition removed the immediate legal hurdle to his arrest.
With both Sahu and Rathore now in police custody, investigators are expected to question them further over the alleged conspiracy, the use of forged company documents and the circumstances surrounding the minister's removal from the four companies.