A little over 14 hours after a woman was allegedly hacked to death, her husband, accused of the crime, was found hanging near their home at Oonnukal in Kothamangalam block on Wednesday.
The body of Saji, 42, was found hanging from a tree in a secluded rubber plantation just about 200 metres away from his home around 9 a.m.
He had been absconding ever since his wife Priya, 38, was allegedly hacked on Tuesday around 6.30 p.m.
“We were on the hunt for Saji as the youngest of the two sons of the couple claimed to have seen his father hacking his mother,” said L. Niyas, Sub Inspector, Oonnukal.
According to the police, family dispute led to the tragic sequence of events that left the couple’s two minor boys orphaned overnight.
Complaint
Priya had lodged a complaint with the Oonnukal police earlier on Tuesday seeking refuge from her husband following which Mr. Niyas had summoned both on Wednesday morning by which time the duo were no more. The petition reportedly sparked off a skirmish resulting in the hacking incident.
Priya was declared dead around 7.15 p.m. on Tuesday. A relative of the deceased said marital problems had marred their relations for long.
The police registered a case invoking IPC Section 302 (murder) against the husband in connection with the murder of his wife and a separate case under Section 174 (suicide) of the CrPC on his death. The bodies were handed over to relatives after post-mortem.
