Assam: Carpenter, 28, held for killing 7-month-pregnant wife after fight over affair

A 28-year-old carpenter was arrested for allegedly beating his seven-month-pregnant wife to death in Assam’s Cachar district following an argument over his extramarital affair, police said on Friday.

Police said that Beru Miya Laskar and Rabiya Begum (26), residents of the Jirighat area, got married around six years ago and were living in a rented house in the Madhurbond area. They have two children, and this was her third pregnancy.

Rabiya’s family members said Beru called them on Monday night and informed them that she had been taken to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) in critical condition. “We rushed to SMCH only to find that she had already died. We saw rope marks on her neck, which suggested that she had been strangled to death. He also thrashed her and kicked her in the belly,” Rabiya’s cousin, Romij Uddin, said.

“She was tortured by Beru many times in the past and had even left his house, but we convinced her to return every time. This time, it went too far, and now he is pretending to be innocent,” Uddin added.

Beru, however, denied the murder allegation and claimed it was a case of suicide.

“It is true that I was involved in an affair outside marriage, but I did not kill her. She was upset and took her own life,” Beru said at the district court campus.

Investigating officer Junu Ranjan Deori said Rabiya’s family lodged an FIR at the Silchar Sadar Police Station in the early hours of April 28, following which a case was registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 103(1) (murder).

“He was detained on April 28 and later formally arrested. He was produced before the court, which granted two-day police remand,” Deori said, adding that more sections could be added to the chargesheet.

“The accused has claimed that he did not kill her and was not at home when she allegedly hanged herself with a rope. We have recovered some digital evidence, including an audio clip allegedly sent by Rabiya to Beru,” he added.

Police said Rabiya’s body was sent for postmortem examination and further investigation is underway.

“Prima facie, it appears to be murder. If not, it may amount to culpable homicide, and that will be reflected in the chargesheet based on evidence,” the investigating officer said.