Dharamshala (HP), March 31 – Uttarakhand Police has arrested a man for allegedly killing his 32-year-old wife in a village in Kangra district of Himachal Pradesh, police said on Tuesday.
According to police sources, the accused, identified as Sunny Kumar, allegedly attacked his wife, Kalti Devi, with a sharp object when she was asleep early Monday morning. The attack proved fatal, and she died on the spot.
Devi is survived by her three children, including two sons and a daughter, police said, adding that her young daughter was reportedly sleeping beside her at the time of the incident.
Preliminary investigation suggests that the accused had gone out with his brother on the night of March 29 for a ritual involving black magic. Later, around midnight, Kumar brought his wife to his brother's house in Kutahan village, where they stayed.
The incident occurred around 4:30 am, when Kumar attacked his wife with an axe while other family members were asleep in adjacent rooms.
Hearing the disturbance, his brother rushed to the scene and immediately informed the police.
Upon reaching the spot, the police took the accused into custody and sent the body for a post-mortem. A forensic team also collected evidence from the scene.
According to the police, Kumar, a daily wage labourer, is originally from Bir-Baijnath and currently residing in Lambagaon.
Superintendent of Police Ashok Ratan said that the accused has been arrested and that an investigation is underway to determine the motive behind the crime.
Police said a case of murder has been registered, and investigations are underway.