COIMBATORE: A 42-year-old woman was arrested by the Peelamedu police here on Friday in connection with the death of her alcoholic husband. R Shanmuganathan (45) of Karunanidhi Nagar at Sowripalayam main Road near Peelamedu was found dead on Thursday.
His wife Bakiyam initially claimed that it was a natural death and died while sleeping. However, Shanmuganathan's younger sister K Mahalakshmi raised suspicion over the cause of his death as she found a contusion and lacerations on his neck. She approached the police and the subsequent probe revealed he was murdered.
Police said Shanmuganathan took up carpentry jobs at a private hospital in the locality. He was a drunkard and frequently quarrelled with Bakiyam.
On Thursday, around 4 am, Bakiyam informed their relatives over the phone that Shanmuganathan died in sleep. Relatives and family members arrived and prepared for the last rites.
While performing the rituals at home Mahalakshmi found injuries and contusions on her brother's neck. She doubted Bakiyam's claim and soon the matter was conveyed to the Peelamedu police who then initiated the probe based on the complaint received from Mahalakshmi.
Police, who registered the case as suspicious death on Thursday, sent the body to the ESI Hospital in Coimbatore city for postmortem.
Police questioned Bakiyam on Friday after the postmortem confirmed that Shanmuganathan was strangulated. She was then booked on murder charges, arrested and later remanded to the prison.
The investigation officer said "Shanmuganathan often beat her in a drunken state. Unable to bear the torture, she strangled him on Wednesday night when he was sleeping in an inebriated state. The children did not know about the incident. In the morning Bakiyam told neighbours and relatives that he died in sleep.
However, her role was revealed when Shanmuganathan's sister found the marks on his neck." The couple has a daughter and a son. The daughter is a college student and the son is in Class 10.