Police officials said Shakuntala Devi had been living under a changed identity in Jharkhand for 12 years after she received 800,000 Indian rupees from her in-laws through relatives to settle her alleged murder.
NEW DELHI, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News – 17th Sep, 2026) A woman declared murdered 12 years ago in India, Shakuntala Devi, has been found alive, prompting the reopening of a 2014 murder case against her husband and in-laws, while the identity of a body recovered from a canal remains a mystery.
According to an Indian magazine, Shakuntala Devi went missing from her in-laws’ home in Rohtas district of the Indian state of Bihar in 2014.
Her brother informed police that she had complained of alleged harassment by her in-laws over demands for dowry.
Two days after the case was registered, the body of an unidentified woman was recovered from a canal near Khanda village.
Shakuntala’s brother and a local official allegedly identified the body as Shakuntala’s. The body was sent for a post-mortem, after which murder charges were added to the case.
Following the discovery of the body, Shakuntala’s husband Arun Mehta, father-in-law Dileep and brother-in-law Govind Kumar, along with others, were arrested.
Arun spent some time in jail but was later granted bail, while legal proceedings continued.
According to the family, the matter later reached a financial settlement. The family’s lawyer claimed that Shakuntala’s relatives had demanded 800,000 Indian rupees to end the matter.
The Mehta family said they had to sell their ancestral land to pay the amount.
According to the family’s lawyer, Shakuntala’s father-in-law was informed about two months ago that she had been seen in neighbouring Jharkhand.
Family members travelled there and claimed to have identified the woman. The family subsequently contacted Rohtas police.
During the investigation, police traced the woman to Lahbari village in Garhwa district, Jharkhand, where she was allegedly living with another man under the name “Kanti Devi.” After bringing her back to Rohtas, police produced her before a court in Sasaram.
Authorities have initiated proceedings against her on various alleged charges, including fraud and criminal conspiracy.
Shakuntala’s discovery alive has given the entire 2014 incident a new turn.
Police are reinvestigating to determine whose body was recovered from the canal 12 years ago and how it was identified as Shakuntala’s. Investigators also want to establish why Shakuntala’s brother identified the body as that of his sister.
Police said that if the investigation uncovers evidence of false statements, forgery or any other illegal act by any individual, action will be taken in accordance with the law.
