Vijayapura (Karnataka), February 18 A 46-year-old man was arrested for allegedly killing his wife and burying her body inside their home before falsely claiming she had gone missing, police said on Wednesday.
The accused, Prabhu Ratnakar, had reportedly borrowed money from multiple sources in the name of his 45-year-old wife, Sarojini, and issued cheques to lenders under her name, they added.
Frequent disputes between the couple allegedly arose over these financial transactions.
The investigation began following a complaint filed on February 17 by Sarojini's 70-year-old mother, Kamala, a resident of Devar Hippargi.
The complaint stated that Ratnakar, a contractor, had taken loans in his wife's name and failed to repay them, resulting in a cheque bounce case being registered against Sarojini in the Yadgir district court.
A warrant was subsequently issued against her.
Despite family advice, Ratnakar allegedly failed to clear the dues, and Sarojini reportedly demanded repayment, leading to repeated quarrels.
On January 24, at around 8 am, Ratnakar told the family that Sarojini had left for the market and did not return. He also claimed to have filed a missing person report at the Devar Hippargi police station on February 2.
However, during questioning on February 17, Ratnakar allegedly confessed to killing his wife after a dispute on the night of January 23 over repayment of the loans.
According to police, he attacked Sarojini in the early hours of January 24, at around 5 am, with a wooden pounding stick used for crushing spices, and buried her body inside the house to destroy evidence.
"We have registered a murder case against the accused and arrested him on February 17," a senior police officer said.
The body was recovered and sent for post-mortem examination. Further investigation is underway.