Ludhiana man bludgeons wife to death in front of five-year-old son

Hit wife with stick in drunken stupor during a fight over her alleged extramarital relationship with a co-worker.

Suspecting her of infidelity, a 34-year-old labourer bludgeoned his wife to death with a stick in front of their five-year-old son at Paramjit Colony in Focal Point on the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday.

The couple had been married for 15 years and had two children, say police. (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

Police said the accused, Pradeep Kumar, attacked his wife in drunken stupor and fled the house on realising the next morning that he had murdered his wife, Kamla Devi, 33.

However, neighbours nabbed him and handed him over to the Focal Point police.

“Kamla and Pradeep used to work in the same factory. He has confessed to suspecting his wife of having an extramarital affair with another worker of the factory,” said inspector Mohammad Jameel, SHO, Focal Point police station.

“On Tuesday night, Pradeep was drunk and had an altercation with Kamla about this. In a fit of rage, he hit Kamla with a stick on the head, leading to her death. But, he didn’t realise this in his inebriated condition and went to sleep. After he regained consciousness on Wednesday morning, he realised what had transpired the previous night and fled, only to be caught later by his landlord,” he added.

Police said the couple had been married for 15 years and had a 14-year-old daughter and a five-year-old son. Their daughter was away at their hometown in Uttar Pradesh, while their son was living with them.

Neighbour heard couple’s fight

Their neighbour, Amit Kumar, told the police that on Tuesday night, he heard a noisy fight between Pradeep and his wife, which was a routine affair. Therefore, he did not intervene.

But, he heard the couple’s son wailing on Wednesday, so went to their house to inspect the matter.

“On stepping inside, we were shocked to see Kamla lying on the floor in a pool of blood and her son crying inconsolably, while Pradeep was nowhere to be seen,” Amit said.

“On being asked, the boy said his father was away to buy medicine for his mother, as she was not waking up,” he added.

Kumar immediately alerted the police and also sounded other neighbours. After some time, Pradeep’s landlord spotted him in the area and handed him over to the police.

Pradeep was arrested and booked for murder under Section 302 of the Indian Penal Code. They have informed the victim’s family in Uttar Pradesh and sent the body to the Ludhiana civil hospital for post-mortem examination.

The custody of the couple’s son was handed over to Pradeep’s brother who also lives in Ludhiana.