Man kills wife over alleged illicit affair, buries body inside house in Bahraich; arrested

A 48-year-old man who allegedly killed his wife over an illicit relationship and buried her body inside their house in Bahraich district has been arrested, police said on Wednesday.

ASP Ramanand Prasad Kushwaha said that the accused, identified as Harikishan of the Narpatpurwa locality in Ahata village, was arrested on Tuesday from Durgapur Tapesi village in neighbouring Barabanki district.

According to the police, Harikishan, who worked as a labourer in Haryana, had returned home recently. His wife, Phoola Devi (45), had been missing since October 6, following which her brother lodged a missing complaint on October 13.

The matter came to light last Friday when the woman’s brother noticed freshly dug soil beneath the accused’s bed and informed the police. On digging up the spot, police recovered Phoola Devi’s decomposed body buried around five to six feet deep. By then, the accused had fled from the house, officials said.

After the recovery, the missing complaint was converted into a murder case, and police teams were deployed to trace the absconding husband.

During interrogation, Harikishan allegedly confessed that upon returning from Haryana, he found his wife in a compromising position with a villager named Guddu. Enraged, he killed her and buried the body in his room, the ASP said.

The accused has been produced before a court and sent to jail, police added.