Man strangles wife then consumes poison, both die

Bhopal: A 28-year-old man allegedly strangled his wife to death following a domestic dispute and later consumed a poisonous substance in Madhya Pradesh’s Chhindwara district. He died during treatment at a hospital later in the day, police said on Friday.

The incident took place in Jamtara village under Umreth police station limits on Thursday. The deceased woman was identified as 25-year-old Pooja Uikey, while the accused was identified as her husband, Ravindra Uikey. The couple is survived by their 1.5-year-old son.

According to police, the couple lived separately in a house built on their farmland. Preliminary investigation revealed that frequent disputes used to take place between the two, allegedly over Ravindra’s drinking habit.

“The deceased was a habitual drinker and there used to be frequent disputes between husband and wife over this. It was during that dispute that the accused first strangled her and then consumed a poisonous substance himself,” Umreth police station in-charge Vijay Thakur told TOI.

Police said family members rushed to the house after hearing a commotion during the dispute. However, after things appeared to calm down, they returned. A few hours later, the accused’s mother again went to the house after hearing the child crying continuously and found Pooja lying motionless inside, while Ravindra was in a serious condition.

“Our teams rushed to the spot after getting information. He was taken to hospital, but he died during treatment,” Thakur said.

He added that the couple married against the wishes of their families and had been living separately in the farmhouse. “They are survived by a 1.5-year-old son. The grandparents are taking care of the child as of now,” the officer said.

Police have registered a case and further investigation is under way.