Wife, kin held for man's murder

MADURAI: The City Police on Monday arrested a woman and her brother-in-law for murdering her husband. Chithra, wife of Muthuraman, 34, from Ramar Kovil Street in Palanganatham, had killed him with the help of Jeevanandam, her elder sister's husband, on Sunday, police sources said.
"Muthuraman had recently learnt about Chithra's extra-marital affair with Jeevanandam.He used to come home drunk and often picked up quarrels with her about the relationship. He also used to beat her up. Fed up with the torture, she connived to eliminate her husband," Subramaniyapuram police inspector Malaichamy told TOI.
Chithra had called up Muthuraman's elder brother on Sunday morning saying that her husband was unconscious. Relatives of Muthuraman, who rushed to the couple's house, found that he was dead. Police shifted the body to a government hospital for post-mortem and registered a case under Section IPC 174- suspicious death.
Chithra told Muthuraman's relatives that he had come home drunk on Saturday night and had slept on a sofa in the drawing room. "She said that she slept in the bedroom along with her two daughters. When she woke up at midnight, she found he had not switch off the TV. She attempted to wake him up in the morning, but he was found unconscious. Though she tried to convince them that Muthuraman died of natural causes, the relatives grew suspicious about the death," the police officer said.
Malaichamy said that police decided to conduct a detailed investigation as the relatives alleged foul play. "We interrogated Chithra. After several hours of grilling, she confessed that she, along with Jeevanandam, smothered Muthuraman using a pillow. Accordingly, the section has been altered to IPC 302- punishment for murder," he added.