Shakuntala Devi Found Alive In Jharkhand A Decade After 'Murder'

A woman declared murdered a decade ago has been found alive in Jharkhand. Police confirmed that Shakuntala Devi is alive and living under a false identity.

Her Husband Arun Mehta Spent

Her husband, Arun Mehta, spent months in prison after her disappearance in 2014. His family also faced years of legal battles and severe financial distress.

Her father-in-law, Dilip Mehta, recently learned that she had been spotted in a Jharkhand village. He traveled there with relatives and recognized her immediately.

Family Confront Her That Moment

The family did not confront her at that moment. Instead, they returned home and reported the finding to the Rohtas Superintendent of Police.

Advocate Shahnawaz Ahmed confirmed the development. "Dilip and some others went there. They recognised the woman," Ahmed said.

Ahmed stated that the family felt too scared to approach her directly at that time. They immediately sought formal police intervention in Bihar.

Police tracked the woman to Labhari village in Garhwa district. The location falls under the jurisdiction of Kandi police station.

An officer confirmed the new alias. "She had been living as Kanti Devi, rather than Shakuntala Devi, and was residing with a man identified as Rattu Singh," an officer said.

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Police took Shakuntala into custody in Jharkhand. They transported her back to Rohtas and produced her before a Sasaram court.

“Shakuntala had married Arun Mehta in 2002,” Ahmed said. The couple experienced repeated disputes during their marriage.

In 2014, Shakuntala left her marital home without warning. Her in-laws searched the area but failed to find her.

“On August 20 that year, her brother approached the police to report her missing,” Ahmed said. The brother alleged dowry harassment by the in-laws.

"The initial case invoked Section 498A of the IPC (Indian Penal Code) and Sections 3 and 4 of the Dowry Prohibition Act," the lawyer said.

The case escalated two days later. A woman’s body was found in a canal near Khanda village under Dehri Muffasil police station.

Shakuntala’s brother and a local chowkidar identified the body as hers. The body went for a post-mortem examination before court submission.

“Murder-related provisions were subsequently added based on the brother’s statement after the body was found,” Ahmed said.

Police arrested Arun Mehta, Dilip Mehta, and his brother Govind Kumar. “Arun spent time in jail and later obtained bail, while the proceedings continued,” his counsel said.

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The legal fight forced the Mehta family into severe hardship. They sought a way to end the criminal proceedings against them.

The family alleged the dispute ended with a financial compromise. "s family sought Rs 8 lakh for the settlement. Dilip Mehta" Ahmed claimed.

Dilip Mehta had to sell his ancestral land to raise the funds. The plot measured about three-and-a-half katthas.

Following the payment, the criminal proceedings finally concluded. For ten years, police records and family members assumed Shakuntala was dead.

The case is now being investigated from scratch a police officer said. Investigators now need to identify the recovered body from 2014.

Police also filed charges against Shakuntala for fraud and criminal conspiracy. They will examine why her brother falsely identified the canal body.