Man kills wife over social media activity, attempts suicide in Najafgarh

According to police, a call was received at 4.23am stating that a man had killed his wife and consumed poison. When officers reached the second-floor flat, they found the woman lying dead on the bed and the man vomiting

Angry with his wife for neglecting the family in favour of creating numerous short videos for social media, a 35-year-old man allegedly strangled her to death and then attempted suicide by consuming a poisonous substance at their rented accommodation in Najafgarh early Tuesday, police said. A case of murder has been registered.

Police said the couple often fought over the woman’s social media activity. She was active on Instagram and WhatsApp, where she posted short videos and had more than 6,000 followers. (Representational image)

Deputy commissioner of police (Dwarka) Ankit Singh confirmed that a case of murder has been registered and the accused is undergoing treatment. “Further action will be taken after he recovers,” he added.

According to police, a call was received at the police control room at 4.23am with the caller stating that a man in his neighbourhood had killed his wife and consumed poison. When officers reached the second-floor flat, they found the woman lying dead on the bed and the man vomiting. He was first taken to Rao Tula Ram Memorial Hospital and later referred to Deen Dayal Upadhyay Hospital. The woman was declared dead at RTRM hospital.

A preliminary probe revealed that the couple, originally from Uttar Pradesh, had been living in the rented flat in Najafgarh since April. The man, who drove an e-rickshaw, and sometimes an auto-rickshaw, lived there with his wife, a homemaker, and their two sons, aged nine and five years.

The landlord, who lives on the ground floor, said he woke up around 4am after hearing the accused vomiting loudly. “My brother, mother and a few other neighbours also woke up. Just then, he came out shouting that he had killed his wife and consumed poison. When we checked, she was unconscious on the bed. We immediately called the police,” the landlord said.

Neighbours too told police that the couple fought frequently, sometimes in public. The landlord said that three days ago, the woman had beaten the man with her slippers, and a mob of around 50 people also assaulted him. “The couple had a public altercation after he broke her phone in frustration over her constant content creation. She was on her way to the police station to file a complaint, and he tried to stop her. People mistook him for a stranger harassing her and began beating him. She did not intervene and joined in the assault herself,” he said, adding that the man had not been heard fighting with her since.

The man’s younger brother, 22, who works as a labourer, said the woman was first married to his eldest brother, who had died by suicide. “After his death, about 10 years ago, the villagers decided that my other elder brother would marry her. But because of her behaviour, we had not been in touch with them for the last few years,” he said.

He added that the accused often complained about her content creation, saying “she used to ignore the children and went out with her friends to make reels without even cooking for them”.

Police said the accused appeared to have planned the murder. “He first tried to strangle her with a dupatta and then used his hands. After that, he ingested sulphur pills. His statement will be recorded once his condition improves,” the officer added.