E-Paper
Mohali vendor held for killing wife
The accused, Sher Singh, initially tried to mislead investigators by blaming involvement of an outsider, but later confessed that he planned and executed the murder because of an unhappy marriage.
Police have arrested a vendor in Mohali’s Mullanpur area for strangling his wife to death inside their home. The accused, Sher Singh, initially tried to mislead investigators by blaming involvement of an outsider, but later confessed that he planned and executed the murder because of an unhappy marriage.
The incident occurred on Friday in Padiala village, where Singh lived with his wife Gautami, their five-month-old daughter, and his brother.
According to superintendent of police (Mullanpur) Mohit Aggarwal, police were first alerted that a woman was found hanging on a tree near a garden in the village. “When our team reached the spot, they came to know that the family had already taken the body to a hospital. The team reached the hospital and found the jewellery of the victim was missing and her legs tied,” he said.
According to police, Singh had filed a complaint claiming that an unknown trespasser entered their house and killed his wife while their infant lay in a swing in the same room. Based on his statement, a case was registered.
However, glaring inconsistencies soon emerged during Singh’s questioning.
According to police, Singh said that he was in Kurali the whole day on the day of the murder, but his unexplained absence of nearly two hours raised suspicion. As the investigation progressed, police discovered that Singh had deliberately created an alibi.
In an extra-judicial confession, Singh admitted that he ensured his brother-in-law stepped out of the house before committing the crime. “Once alone, he strangled his wife while their infant lay in a swing in the same room,” SP Aggarwal said. Investigators revealed a disturbing motive behind the killing. “Singh harboured deep resentment towards his wife and admitted that ‘nothing was going well’ between them. With mounting tensions in the marriage, he planned and executed the murder,” the police said.
Police have booked Singh under Sections 103 (murder), Section 305 (theft), Section 331(8) (trespassing), and Section 3(5) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
He remains in police custody for further investigation.
