Husband of Jharkhand actress Riya Kumari, who was shot dead in Howrah, arrested

Howrah, Dec 28: The husband of Jharkhand actress Riya Kumari, who was shot dead during an alleged highway robbery attempt in West Bengal on Wednesday, was reportedly arrested on Thursday

.Police said they arrested him after interrogation and on the basis of a complaint lodged by Riya Kumar's family on Wednesday night.

He has been booked under sections 302 (murder), 201 (giving false information), 498A (Husband or relative of husband of a woman subjecting her to cruelty) and various sections of the Arms Act, police said. A hunt is on for others involved in the case, they said.

Riya Kumari, who goes by the screen name of Isha Aliya, is a youtuber and actress. She along with her husband Prakash Kumar, a film producer, and their two-year-old daughter were heading to Kolkata via the National Highway 16 by car, PTI reported. Kumar stopped near Mahishrekha in Bagnan police station area around 6 am to relieve himself. Soon, a gang of three men attacked him, trying to rob his belongings. When his wife rushed to rescue the husband, they shot her and fled the spot immediately, PTI quoted police as saying.

The men apparently spoke to the couple in Bengali, which they did not understand. The husband in conversations with journalists did not rule out enimity but said he had no idea why they could be attacked and had assumed the killers to be tourists like him.

After the incident, Kumar took his wife to the vehicle and drove about three km in search of help. When he saw some people along the highway in Kulgachia-Pirtala, he narrated the incident to them.

Locals helped Kumar take his wife to the SCC Medical College and Hospital in Uluberia where doctors declared her brought dead, police said.

Police said they were investigating the incident and also questioning the husband. "We have spoken to the husband, and since the daughter is too young we may talk to her later as we do not want to cause her more trouble. We will also speak to the locals whom the man approached for help," a police officer said. Their car has been seized for forensic examination, he said.

Going by the reports, Kumari's family members have accused Kumar and alleged that he had a history of being violent with his wife. Her family also alleged that her income from YouTube videos irked Kumar. He used to suspect that Kumari was having an affair. He would also take money from her, they said.