THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: A 40-year-old woman was arrested on Saturday after she allegedly hacked to death her 52-year-old husband following a heated argument at Kannanthitta, Amboori, in the district. The deceased is Selvamuthu and the accused is Sumalatha, both natives of Kuttamala near Amboori. Selvamuthu was a rubber-tapper by profession, while Sumalatha is a homemaker.
According to police, the couple was engaged in a verbal fight at their home around 5am, when the wife suddenly grabbed a machete and hacked her husband on his neck and head. He died on the spot. The neighbours said the duo was often heard quarrelling over the past few weeks. Reportedly, Selvamuthu also used to beat her up frequently.
It was Sumalatha herself who informed her neighbours that Selvamuthu was lying dead on the bed. The neighbours, who rushed to the couple’s house and inspected the body, spotted the deep cut injuries on his neck and head and immediately informed the police.
The Neyyar Dam police soon took Sumalatha into custody because the police found her statements contradictory and vague. An arrest has been recorded. The forensic examination has been completed and a detailed investigation is under way. Meanwhile, the police said they have cause for suspicion that Sumalatha is mentally unstable. Though she confessed to the murder, she was reportedly unable to pinpoint the exact reason for the murder. “The interrogation is going on. We are also trying to find out if she committed the crime in a mentally unstable state,” said a police officer attached to the Neyyar Dam station.
The couple has three children. While their eldest son Jibin is staying in Bengaluru, their second son Jithu -- who is on the autism spectrum -- and their youngest son Jino, 4, was present in the house when the incident took place. Selvamuthu’s body has been shifted to the Thiruvananthapuram Medical College Hospital morgue. READ MORE :
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