Man arrested for allegedly killing pregnant wife in Kalahandi over extramarital dispute

Bhawanipatna: Solving the death case of a pregnant woman in Bhawanipatna, the Kalahandi Police have arrested her husband and another person on charges of murdering her.

Addressing the media, Kalahandi Superintendent of Police (SP) Nagaraj Devarakonda said the accused, Lalit Patel of Saralanji village, had been living in a rented house in Bhawanipatna with his wife since 2023. According to the police, marital discord arose after his wife learned about his alleged extramarital affair.

Police said Lalit allegedly conspired to kill his eight-month pregnant wife and, as per the plan, took her to a farmhouse in Shreepur on January 26. On the night of January 26, Lalit, along with his friend and alleged accomplice Dushmanta Gauda, allegedly strangled the woman with a rope, the SP said.

After the murder, the accused allegedly dug a pit on the farmhouse premises and buried the body.

The crime came to light on February 2 when the farmhouse watchman, while cleaning the premises, noticed a woman’s hand protruding from the soil and alerted the police.

The deceased woman’s family was subsequently informed and lodged a complaint at the Bhawanipatna Sadar Police Station. The body was sent for post-mortem examination, and an investigation was launched.

Following the arrest of the two accused on Thursday, the police took them to the farmhouse for crime scene reconstruction as part of the probe.