A 42-year-old man was arrested six hours after he allegedly smashed his wife's head with a boulder weighing 26 kilograms early on Wednesday morning.
The accused identified as Santosh Yadav was arrested in the vicinity of Dockyard Road railway station when he was about to board a train to flee to his native place in Uttar Pradesh, said police.
According to the police, the couple used to fight frequently and Santosh used to doubt his wife Sunita (36) of having an extramarital affair. In the wee hours of Wednesday, an argument broke out between them and in a fit of rage Santosh allegedly smashed his wife's head with a boulder and escaped.
The incident took place in front of the couple's seven-year-old son. After his father fled from the spot, he alerted a pedestrian who called the police. Upon reaching the scene, a team from Byculla police rushed her to the hospital. However, she could not be saved and succumbed to injuries.
"We registered a case of murder and began hunting for the accused. We suspected that he could flee to his native place. Accordingly, we placed our men at nearby railway stations premises in plain clothes. He was later arrested in the evening near Dockyard Road railway station when he came to board a train," said Ashok Khot, senior inspector at the Byculla police station.
The accused will be produced before the court on Thursday.
