Man Arrested in Alleged Murder of Wife in Maharashtra

Suresh Sherphule was arrested in Maharashtra's Beed district for allegedly murdering his wife, Sheelabai, and trying to disguise it as a natural death. He reportedly struck her with a wooden stick, claiming she died of cardiac arrest. The police intervened before the funeral, leading to his arrest.

A 48-year-old man has been taken into custody in Maharashtra's Beed district on suspicion of murdering his wife and attempting to cover it up as a natural death, police announced on Saturday.

The couple, both farm labourers in Hatola, Ambajogai tehsil, became the center of a criminal investigation following the woman's suspicious death. The accused, Suresh Sherphule, allegedly killed his wife, Sheelabai, 45, by striking her with a wooden stick during an argument.

Suresh initially claimed that Sheelabai had suffered a cardiac arrest and transported her body to their native village, Alura, in the Nanded district for funeral proceedings. However, police from Beed, after receiving a tip-off, alerted their counterparts in Nanded. Just as the family prepared for Sheelabai's last rites, officers intervened, discovering head injuries inconsistent with a natural death, and subsequently arrested Suresh.

(With inputs from agencies.)