Husband-wife spat leads to murder, suicide

A 45-year-old man allegedly strangled his wife before hanging himself from the ceiling fan after a verbal spat at their residence in southeast Delhi’s Amar Colony area on Saturday evening, police said.

A 45-year-old man allegedly strangled his wife before hanging himself from the ceiling fan after a verbal spat at their residence in southeast Delhi’s Amar Colony area on Saturday evening, police said.

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Meghna Yadav, additional deputy commissioner of police (southeast) said the incident was reported from Manik Biswas’ residence located in Amar Colony’s Gadhi area around 7 pm.

“Biswas’ wife has been identified as Sujata, 35, and the matter was reported by one of the couple’s neighbours after a foul smell began emanating from their first-storey accommodation,” additional DCP Yadav said.

When a team of the local police reached the spot and broke open the door to the couple’s residence, it saw Biswas hanging from the ceiling fan and his wife lying motionless on a cot.

According to police, Biswas was employed as a driver. Prima facie investigation of the crime scene and the nature of injuries on Sujata’s body, police said, seemed to suggest that Manik had killed his wife before he decided to hang himself from the ceiling fan.

The couple is understood to have gotten married recently — that is, after Sujata divorced her former husband — and did not have children of their own.

“We are in the process of questioning the couple’s neighbours and friends at the moment and have sent their bodies for post-mortem. It seems that the altercation which led Biswas to kill his wife before he ended his own was triggered by an argument that the couple had in the afternoon,” said a senior police officer.