Maharashtra: Wife, her mother held for killing man, misleading police by false story

A woman was arrested along with three others, including her mother, in Maharashtra's Latur for allegedly murdering her husband and misleading the police by falsely telling them that he was killed by his relative, an official said on Sunday.

The incident occurred at Jodjawala village in Latur tehsil on July 18, police said.

"The woman lodged a complaint at Gategao police station alleging that her husband was murdered by one of his relatives, who hit him on his head with a sickle over a land dispute. Following that, a man whose name was mentioned in her complaint was arrested," an official said.

However, during the investigation, the police found several discrepancies in the versions of the arrested man and the victim's wife, he said.

Accordingly, Superintendent of Police Somay Munde directed the local police and the crime branch to carry out a thorough probe.

"A joint team was formed. The police took the arrested man into confidence and asked him to provide details about the the victim and his family. He told them that the victim, Hanmant Katare, would beat his wife on the suspicion of her character," the official said.

He also told the police that Katare's wife, her mother and others were behind his murder, he added.

During the probe, the police came to know that Katare's wife hatched a conspiracy to eliminate her husband as she was fed up with him for suspecting her character, the police said.

She roped in her mother and two men in executing his murder. As decided, the two men attacked the victim on the outskirts of their village with rods, in which he died, they said.

"The woman then approached the police and falsely told them that her husband's relative killed him," the police official said.

The 30-year-old woman, her 50-year-old mother and two other accused were arrested on Friday and further investigation is on, he said.