The police have arrested Jharkhand YouTuber Riya Kumari’s husband Prakash Kumar, a day after she was killed during an armed robbery. In a new twist in the case, police found out that the robbery bid in West Bengal’s Howrah area was a set-up by Kumari’s husband.
The deceased YouTuber’s husband also told the police that Riya Kumar had been shot at point blank range when the robbers tried to snatch her belongings. The arrest came after an interrogation of Prakash on the basis of information from Kumari’s parents that her husband would harass and beat her up and even threaten to kill her.
Police found discrepancies in Prakash Kumar’s version. He was arrested on Thursday morning and will be produced before the court later today.
Jharkhand-based YouTuber and actor Riya Kumar aka Isha Alya was shot dead by robbers in West Bengal’s Howrah district on Wednesday. Kumari was on her way from Jharkhand to Kolkata when the incident took place. Police had suspected foul play and launched a probe.
Riya was travelling with producer husband Prakash on the national highway with the couple’s three-year-old daughter. The murder reportedly took place early morning at 6 am and her husband had claimed that the actor was shot dead while resisting the robbery attempt. They had stopped as Prakash needed to answer nature’s call, he had initially claimed.
They were attacked by three people. Prakash said he drove around three kilometres searching for help after Riya was shot. She was taken to SCC Medical College where doctors declared her dead.
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The police grew suspicious of Prakash’s version of the events that took place. "The first question is how the miscreants came to know that Prakash Kumar will stop his vehicle at that secluded point near the Mahishrekha bridge. The second question is whether in that case their vehicle was being chased by the miscreants to which Prakash Kumar has no clue. The third question is that the point where Prakash Kumar claimed to have stopped the car is not an ideal place for parking even if it is for a limited period because of the secluded nature of the spot," a source close to the investigators told news agency IANS.
Riya Kumar used to act in movies and had featured in regional albums. Prakash Kumar produces regional films and music albums.
READ | Who is Riya Kumari aka Isha Alya, Jharkhand actor murdered in Bengal? Here's why husband's statement raises questions
