VISAKHAPATNAM: Dehradun police have arrested software engineer Sri Charan Somayajula in connection with the mysterious death of his wife Parupudi Radha Gayatri (27) at a homestay near Mussoorie in Uttarakhand.Deputy superintendent of police, Dehradun, JC Pant, who is investigating the case, said they arrested Charan late Friday night when he was going to his parents’ house in East Delhi. He was brought to Dehradun and produced in court, where the magistrate remanded him to 14 days judicial custody. He has been shifted to the district central jail in Sodhowala.Charan, who had initially spoken to the media in Vizag and claimed his innocence, absconded once the case was registered against him. Uttarakhand police issued summons to Charan and his parents, Durgaprasad and Seetha Mahalakshmi.Gayatri, a resident of Visakhapatnam, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in a homestay on Mussoorie-Dhanaulti road on June 15 while on vacation with Charan. The investigation gained momentum after a magisterial inquiry was ordered, as the post-mortem examination report failed to establish the exact cause of her death.The Dehradun district administration in Uttarakhand ordered a magisterial inquiry and issued a public notice inviting members of the public to submit any complaints, evidence, or information related to the case by July 17.Gayatri and Charan got married in Nov 2025. Her parents Sudhakar and Satyavati alleged that Charan murdered her, and demanded an independent, transparent, and thorough inquiry. Following persistent efforts by Gayatri’s parents, Mussoorie police registered a case under Section 103(1) (murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS) against Charan.Gayatri and Charan travelled from Delhi to Rishikesh on June 13 and checked into the homestay on June 14. The next day, she was found lying naked and dead on the floor. Bloodstains were found on the bedsheet, while two empty liquor bottles and food items were recovered from the scene.Charan had told police that they had consumed alcohol before retiring to their room in the early hours of June 15 and that he later found his wife bleeding from the nose.
