A 28-year-old carpenter has been arrested for allegedly beating his seven-month-pregnant wife to death in Assam’s Cachar district after an argument over his extramarital affair, police said on Friday.
Police said that Peru Mia Laskar and Rabiya Begum (26), residents of Jerighat area, were married about six years ago and were living in a rented house in the Madhurbund area. They have two children, and this was her third pregnancy.
Rabia’s family members said that Biru called them on Monday evening and informed them that she had been shifted to Silchar Medical College and Hospital (SMCH) in a critical condition. “We rushed to SMCH only to find that she was already dead,” said Romij Uddin, Rabia’s cousin. “We saw rope marks on her neck, indicating that she had been strangled to death. He also beat her and kicked her in the stomach.”
Al-Din added: “She had been tortured by Bero several times in the past, and she even left his house, but we convinced her to come back every time. This time, it went further, and now he is pretending to be innocent.”
But Pirro denied the murder allegations and claimed it was a case of suicide.
“It is true that I was involved in an extramarital affair, but I did not kill her. She was upset and committed suicide,” Biro said in the district court.
Investigating officer Junu Ranjan Dewri said that Rabia’s family lodged an FIR with Silchar Sadar police station in the early hours of April 28, following which a case was registered under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), including Section 103 (1) (murder).
“He was arrested on April 28 and then formally detained. He was brought before the court, which granted the police two days of pretrial detention,” Diori said, adding that more sections could be added to the indictment.
He added: “The accused claimed that he did not kill her and was not at home when she hanged herself with a rope. We have recovered some digital evidence, including an audio clip that Rabia allegedly sent to Peru.”
Police said that Rabia’s body was sent for post-mortem examination and investigations are still ongoing.
“Prima facie, it appears to be a murder. If not, it could amount to culpable homicide, and that will be reflected in the charge sheet based on the evidence,” the investigating officer said.
