CHENNAI: A 35-year-old man was arrested at Ponmar village in Kancheepuram district on Tuesday for allegedly killing his wife over an argument on Sunday. The man told the woman’s family in Perumbakkam that she had died of health ailments.
The Thalambur police said the accused, Vimal Raj, was a pastor at a church in Ponmar. His wife Vaishali (33) was a native of Mumbai. Four years ago, when Vimal was working in Mumbai, he got acquainted with Vaishali and they got married a couple of years ago. They have an 11-month-old daughter.
A police officer said, “The couple often quarrelled and Vimal suspected her fidelity. During an argument on Sunday, Vimal smothered her to death with a pillow. He then told Vaishali’s family in Perumbakkam that she collapsed in the house and was rushed to a hospital where she was declared dead. However, her brother became suspicious and told police that there seemed to be injuries on the body.”
Vimal allegedly tried to complete the last rites of Vaishali and cremate the body even before all her family members could arrive. Based on the complaint, police inquired Vimal and his family. During inquiry, Vimal confessed to committing the murder. He was arrested on Tuesday and the body was sent to Chengalpattu Government Hospital for a postmortem.