Cape Town - During a rocky, on-off, 17-month courtship Shrien Dewani rejected sexual advances from his fiancée, Anni Hindocha, because of infertility problems which he tried to treat by travelling alone to Thailand for a Thai boxing course that would raise his hormone levels.
And instead of a honeymoon in South Africa, the new bride wanted a divorce.
These startling claims are contained in a statement made to Scotland Yard detectives by Anni’s cousin and confidante, Sneha Hindocha.
The Hindocha family is expected to arrive in Cape Town today to attend Dewani’s murder trial, which starts in the Western Cape High Court tomorrow.
Dewani is charged with orchestrating the murder of his new bride Anni in Khayelitsha in 2010.
In Sneha Hindocha’s statement she depicts her cousin as an unhappy and reluctant bride who felt pressured into marrying someone who was critical of her, controlling and physically distant.
She outlined to detectives a series of incidents when she said her cousin had felt sexually rejected by Dewani.
Anni had confided that she had tried to be intimate but Dewani had pushed her away when he had stayed over at her Stockholm flat in 2009.
“Anni felt embarrassed and hurt,” Hindocha told police, “and we both felt that it was weird.”
In November 2009, Dewani returned to Stockholm where he shared a suite with Anni at the Hilton Hotel.
“Anni told me that they had again not been intimate with each other… Anni and I speculated that maybe he was a virgin or perhaps just being proper and not wanting to be intimate before marriage…”
She told police that a few days later, Dewani called Anni to explain that he was receiving hormone treatment for infertility and that this prompted Anni to break off the relationship.
The couple made up in early 2010, after Dewani told Anni the treatment had been successful.
Hindocha said that a few months later, Dewani announced he was going to Thailand for a Thai boxing course “which he claimed would raise his hormone level.”
She said that Anni told her she was not comfortable with Dewani and that they argued a lot.
Hindocha said that during a May 2010 meeting between the Dewani and Hindocha families in Bristol, Anni was ambushed into an engagement.
“Dewani’s sister-in-law Kripa came down the stairs holding a large silver tray with a holy relic to bless the relationship.
This came as a complete surprise to Anni, her parents and me because Anni’s parents explained that this blessing is a sign of an engagement which they were not expecting.”
Hindocha said Anni had serious reservations ahead of the official engagement announcement on May 27.
At the 11th hour with her help, Anni composed an e-mail calling off the engagement.
Dewani asked Anni to reconsider “as he was in love with her… he promised to change his ways and the engagement went ahead as scheduled.”
Following a lavish weekend in Paris where Dewani proposed to Anni with a £25 000 (R453 200) diamond ring, Anni flew to India in July to begin the arrangements for the wedding.
Hindocha told police that while Dewani and Anni were in Mumbai, “Anni sent me disturbing text messages explaining that there was a huge amount of animosity between them which resulted in her throwing her engagement ring at Dewani.
“On 22nd September I phoned Anni after she had text(ed) me and she told me that she had left the hotel they were staying in,” said Hindocha.
Again the couple made up later.
However, in October that year, Anni had spoken again about their sexual problems.
Anni nevertheless went ahead with a lavish £200 000 three-day wedding.
Hindocha said that after the first ceremony on October 27, Anni returned to the hotel room the cousins were sharing upset because Dewani had criticised her attire.
According to Hindocha, Anni had confided that she and Shrien had agreed to “act out the rest of the wedding ceremonies”.
Hindocha said that a day after the wedding couple returned to Bristol, Anni had called and dropped a bombshell.
“She had decided to leave Dewani and asked me to help her.
“Anni said that she did not want to go anywhere with Dewani and asked me what she should do… Anni was now calling me on a daily basis explaining that she did not want to go with Dewani to South Africa or anywhere else as she wanted a divorce…
“I advised Anni to think again and go on the honeymoon to see if they could resolve their issues and if they couldn’t then to get away from the hotel, call me and hang up and I’ll put some money for a ticket into her Swedish account.”
She saw Anni for the last time on November 7.
“That evening the mood was very tense as Dewani was criticising Anni about her hair colour.”
Two days later she received Anni’s last text:
“It’s going better than before. Hard to explain but I’ll call you soon as I return. Hate the word divorce.”
“I felt relieved and really thought that Anni would start to enjoy her honeymoon…”
Then at 9am on November 14, 2010 she learnt that Anni had been murdered on her honeymoon. - Weekend Argus