Kollam (Kerala) | A court here on Monday cancelled the anticipatory bail of a man facing investigation in connection with the alleged suicide of his wife in Sharjah, Crime Branch officials said.

The Kollam District Principal Sessions Court revoked the pre-arrest bail granted to Satheesh S (40), a native of Sasthamcotta in Kollam, who is under investigation over the death of his wife, Athulya (29), in July this year.

Athulya was found hanging in their Sharjah apartment on July 19. Her family alleged that she was subjected to mental and physical torture by Satheesh, leading to her death.

Apart from the police in the UAE, the Kerala police have also registered a case and initiated a probe, the Crime Branch officials said.

Although the UAE police had closed the case as a suicide, the Crime Branch investigating the case in Kerala approached the court to cancel Satheesh's bail, citing new evidence, and sought custodial interrogation.

The court questioned the relevance of charging murder when the UAE authorities had given a clean chit. It also asked why abetment to suicide had not been charged against Satheesh.

Crime Branch officials said the charge would be altered at a later stage as directed by the court.

The court had granted interim bail to Satheesh last month. He appeared before the Crime Branch officials soon after the court cancelled his pre-arrest bail.

Interrogation is underway, and a decision on his arrest will be taken shortly, officials said.