A man has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife in Maharashtra’s Beed district and trying to pass it off as a heart attack. Police said he hit her with a wooden stick during an argument and moved her body to another village for funeral rites.
A 48-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife in Maharashtra’s Beed district and trying to make it look like a natural death, police said on Saturday. The incident has shocked people in the villages linked to the case.
The accused and his wife were working as farm labourers in Hatola village in Ambajogai tehsil.
Fight led to fatal attack
Police said the accused, Suresh Sherphule, got into a heated argument with his wife, Sheelabai Sherphule, aged 45, on Friday. During the fight, Suresh allegedly struck her on the head with a wooden stick.
The blow was severe, and Sheelabai died on the spot, an official said.
Attempt to fake natural death
After the incident, Suresh allegedly tried to hide the crime. He told others that his wife had died due to a heart attack. To support his claim, he arranged a private vehicle and took her body to his native village, Alura, in Degloor tehsil of Nanded district.
The family there began preparations for her last rites, believing it was a natural death.
Police tip-off exposes the truth
The plan fell apart when Beed police received a tip-off about the suspicious nature of Sheelabai’s death. They immediately informed the Nanded police.
According to News Agency PTI, Sub-inspector Gopal Suryavanshi from Degloor police station rushed to Alura just before the funeral. During inspection, police noticed clear injuries on the woman’s head, which did not match a heart attack or natural death.
Funeral stopped, accused arrested
Police stopped the funeral and took Suresh Sherphule into custody on the spot. After a post-mortem examination, the body was handed back to the family for the final rites.
Further investigation is ongoing.