VANCOUVER -- As the search for missing New Westminster mother Nirla Sharma intensifies, CTV News Vancouver has learned her husband was recently charged with threatening her safety.
In late January, Rishi Deo Sharma was charged with uttering threats against her. His bail conditions included not having any contact with her or their children. This week, after Nirla’s disappearance, he was charged with breaching that condition. None of the charges have been proven in court.
Sharma's daughter tells CTV News she believes the charges against her father have nothing to do with her mother's disappearance. She says her parents have issues, but are happy and love each other very much.
New Westminster police said they do not have any suspects in the case.
“At this point, this is a missing persons investigation,” said New Westminster Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Jeff Scott. “We are not at a point in the investigation where we can rule out foul play. So the detectives are exploring all the different avenues."
These developments come as volunteers from Coquitlam Search and Rescue were called in to assist the search Thursday near Sharma's home in Queensborough. Their efforts were unsuccessful, however.
Sharma’s family last saw her Sunday night when she was going to bed. The next morning, she was gone.
Her daughter remembers hearing the door open at 4 a.m. and thought her mother was taking the dog for a walk. She said her father woke her up at 7 a.m. to let her know her mother still wasn’t home.
Police are asking anyone with dash cam footage taken in the Queensborough area from Sunday night to Monday morning to get in touch with the NWPD's Major Crime Unit.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber
