LONDON, April 21 -- A British-based pharmacist wanted in India for allegedly poisoning his ex-wife's family with arsenic, killing her mother, and trying to hire assassins to kill her father began his fight against extradition on Monday. Ajith Kumar Mupparapu, 45, is accused of repeatedly targeting Sirisha Muttavarapu and her family in 2023, shortly after she filed for divorce. Indian prosecutors allege Mupparapu arranged for arsenic-laced chilli powder and salt to be sent to Muttavarapu's family in Hyderabad, southern India, which her relatives consumed as they gathered to celebrate her brother's wedding in June 2023. Her mother Uma Maheshwari died the following month. Mupparapu is also said to have tried to murder Muttavarapu's father, by organising a staged road accident, attempting to hire contract killers and conspiring to have him injected with a fatal dose of a muscle relaxant. His lawyers, however, say there is insufficient evidence to establish that Mupparapu was responsible for any arsenic in Muttavarapu's family's home or was involved in any conspiracy to kill her father. On Monday, James Lewis, a lawyer representing Indian prosecutors, said the arsenic which was found when those who had eaten food at Muttavarapu's family home were tested was allegedly obtained by Mupparapu's sister. The hearing to determine whether Mupparapu can be sent to India is expected to conclude this week.reuters...