Girdhari Lal Sahu, the husband of Uttarakhand Cabinet Minister Rekha Arya, was arrested on Friday in Jhansi, Uttar Pradesh, following a search operation that lasted more than three weeks. Sahu, 61, had been absconding since October 15, the date on which a First Information Report (FIR) was registered against him at the Cantt police station in Dehradun. The arrest was executed by a Special Investigation Team (SIT) specifically constituted by the Dehradun Police to probe the multi-faceted allegations brought forward by the minister, according to Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Pramendra Singh Dobal.
The legal action against Sahu was initiated after Rekha Arya, who oversees the Women Empowerment and Child Development portfolio, filed a formal complaint. Her allegations are extensive, involving charges of physical and verbal abuse, as well as the use of caste-based slurs against her in the presence of staff members. Furthermore, the minister alleged that Sahu had concealed a previous marriage and the existence of children from that relationship at the time of their own marriage in 2004, claiming she only became aware of his marital history after their own children were born.
Beyond personal grievances, the complaint includes serious allegations of financial impropriety and conspiracy. Arya accused Sahu of using forged signatures and fabricated documentation to remove her from the directorship of four different companies without her consent. Police investigators have reportedly identified an individual named Rathore as a beneficiary in this matter, alleging that he was appointed as a director in those companies following the removal of the minister from her roles.
The situation escalated further when the minister shared a video on social media containing an audio recording, which she alleged captured Sahu conspiring to orchestrate her murder. Following the filing of the FIR and the issuance of a non-bailable warrant, police authorities conducted raids across various locations in both Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh to locate Sahu, who had remained out of reach until his eventual apprehension in Jhansi.
In response to the accusations and the subsequent police action, Sahu released his own video message in which he denied the allegations and requested that his wife withdraw the complaint. He countered by accusing the minister of possessing assets worth Rs 210 crore, which he claimed were disproportionate to her known sources of income, and appealed to Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami to launch an investigation into her financial status. Regarding the audio recording circulated by the minister, Sahu claimed that it was a fabrication generated through artificial intelligence, intended specifically to damage their marital relationship.
The arrest marks a significant development in a case that has drawn public attention due to the high-profile nature of the complainant. As the investigation progresses, the SIT is currently subjecting Sahu to questioning regarding the specific charges leveled by the minister. Police have stated that the probe remains ongoing as they look to verify the claims regarding the alleged forgery, the conspiracy to harm, and the various physical and verbal abuse complaints.
With Sahu now in custody, the legal process will focus on the evidence gathered by the SIT, including the documentation related to the company directorships and the authenticity of the audio files presented by the minister. The case highlights a complex intersection of personal conflict and allegations of institutional malfeasance, with both sides maintaining conflicting narratives that are now subject to formal judicial scrutiny.
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