Khargone, Jul 14 A 35-year-old woman with nine children allegedly killed her husband with an axe over frequent quarrels and suspicion he was having an extramarital affair and would eventually abandon her in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh, a police official said on Tuesday.
The woman, Rumli Bai Dudwe (35), who allegedly killed her husband with an axe while he was asleep at home, has been arrested and sent to judicial custody by a local court, the official said.
According to police, the gruesome incident took place in Bazar Khodra Chidiya village under Chainpur police station limits and the victim was identified as Ida Dudwe (45).
Khargone Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP-City) Bittu Sehgal said the deceased's brother had filed a complaint on July 10 alleging an unknown person had killed Ida Dudwe.
Acting on the complaint, police registered a murder case and began investigation.
Initial investigation suggested the crime was committed by an outsider as the deceased's wife had told the police the same story. However, as the investigation progressed, police learned of frequent quarrels between the husband and the wife, he said.
After Rumli Bai was interrogated rigorously, she allegedly confessed to the murder of her husband. During interrogation, the accused revealed her husband was having an affair with another woman and she feared he would abandon her and their nine children, and marry his girlfriend, Sehgal stated.
The husband-wife duo often quarrelled over marital issues and the man's alleged extramarital affair. Fed up with the long-running discord and fearing abandonment, Rumli Bai murdered her husband with an axe while he was fast asleep on the intervening night of July 9-10, he said.
The woman initially tried to mislead police by telling them that an unknown assailant had killed her husband. However, during the investigation, police suspicions deepened when contradictions were found between her statements and the circumstances of the crime, according to the ASP.
During interrogation, Rumli Bai revealed that she concealed the truth because she feared her in-laws may kill her if they found out her role in the murder, he said.
According to Sehgal, the couple has nine children -- six daughters and three sons - aged between two-and-a-half years and 16 years.
