A 55-year-old salesman, resident of Ghaziabad, was arrested for allegedly killing his wife on February 27. He reportedly locked himself in the house with her body lying on the bed for four days. The crime was brought to light when the accused, Bharat Singh, sat in front of his house and screamed his confession about murdering his wife, NDTV reported. He then asked his neighbours to call the police after which he was arrested on Saturday.
The incident took place in a rented one-room flat located in Ghaziabad's housing colony in Ambedkar Nagar. The accused's 51-year-old wife has been identified as Sunita. As per the senior police officer Naresh Kumar, the accused had choked his wife to death during an altercation over a family issue.
"We were informed by the neighbours that Bharat had choked his wife Sunita to death. On reaching there, we found the body at their home. The murder appears to have happened at least three days back. We have arrested the accused. He has told us during questioning that he killed his wife during an altercation over a family issue. We have informed the woman's family members and sent the body for autopsy," NDTV quoted the senior police official saying.
A neighbour reportedly said that they were clueless about the crime and got to know about the murder only after Singh confessed it and said that he wanted to surrender before the police. The neighbour also said that the deceased's body was at home for around four to five days and was recovered only after the police arrived.
As per NDTV's reports, another neighbour revealed that Singh used to sit outside his home and tell every passer-by about how he had murdered his wife. He added that the accused used to sit and scream "I have killed my wife, get me arrested."
A senior police official, however, told TOI that the locals had also become suspicious as "there was a foul smell emanating from the house. Neighbours who went there also saw the body of the woman on the bed and alerted the police."
Suspected Reason Behind Altercation That Ended In Murder
This was the second marriage for both Bharat and his wife Sunita and the couple had been living together in a live-in relationship for the past 13 to 14 years. They had tied the knot at a local court only two and half years ago, TOI reported citing another police officer.
Even after his marriage to Sunita, Bharat continued to provide financial assistance to his first wife, which the deceased disapproved of. Also, his first wife made frequent visits to their home, which reportedly led to fights between the couple.
ACP Naresh Kumar stated, "The accused was taken into custody and the body was sent for postmortem examination."
Bharat Singh was arrested by the police on Saturday. An FIR was also registered against him at the Masuri police station under section 302 of the Indian Penal Code after Sunita's family members filed a complaint, TOI reported.