A 29-year-old pregnant woman was allegedly murdered by her husband at their house in south Delhi’s Dakshinpuri near Ambedkar Nagar late Sunday night.
Later, the man surrendered himself before Ambedkar Nagar police station authorities at around 12:30 am on Monday and confessed to killing his wife by strangulation.
Police said that the accused, Vijay Sonewal, an auto-rickshaw driver, said that he was angry because his wife had stepped out of their house amid the lockdown restrictions, which have been imposed since March 23 to contain the spread of coronavirus disease (Covid-19) outbreak.
The family members of the deceased, Hemlata, however, alleged that Sonewal was an abusive husband and often resorted to physical violence.
Sonewal had found his house locked and Hemlata talking to some of their neigbours when he returned with food at around 9 pm on Sunday, said deputy commissioner of police (DCP) (south) Atul Kumar Thakur, quoting the accused’s confessional statement.
Hemlata’s family members alleged that Sonewal would physically torture her since they got married in December 2018. They said that Hemlata had filed for divorce barely six months after the marriage because of Sonewal’s abusive behaviour.
“However, the court had asked my sister and Sonewal to stay together and mutually resolve their marital discord. But Sonewal never mended his ways and the domestic violence went on unabated,” alleged Asha, Hemlata’s sister.
“Sonewal reached the police station at around 12:30 am on Monday and confessed to his wife’s murder. A police team was sent to his home, where she was found lying dead on the bed,” said DCP Thakur.
“A case of murder was registered and Sonewal was arrested. Her body was sent to AIIMS (All India Institute of Medical Sciences) for autopsy,” he added.
The police said that Hemlata was Sonewal’s third wife, while he was her second husband after she became a widow about five years ago.
Hemlata’s eight-year-old daughter from her first marriage was at her maternal grandparents’ home when Sonewal allegedly murdered her after a fight.
Asha said Hemlata used to work as a caretaker in a private school. “However, she had to leave the job because of her abusive husband,” she further alleged.
