Child’s statement leads to father’s arrest for mother’s murder

Lucknow: A police constable has been arrested for allegedly killing his wife based on a statement made by the couple’s four-year-old son which was confirmed by the post-mortem examination report.

Dubagga station house officer (SHO) Anil Prakash Singh, said the accused, Rinku Gautam, called the police and told them that his wife, Brijesh Kumari, died by hanging herself from the ceiling fan in her room.

Later, his father-in-law Latori Ram lodged an FIR claiming that Gautam tortured his daughter and killed her because she could not fulfil his dowry demands.

The couple was married seven years ago.

The police that visited the spot, found the body hanging from the ceiling fan.

“However, in his statement to the police, Gautam’s son said that ‘papa pushed mummy on the sofa, slapped her and held her neck, pressing it hard. Mummy was gasping for breath and then papa tied her neck and hanged her from the ceiling fan’,” said the SHO on Sunday.

The post-mortem examination report confirmed the cause of death by strangulation after which the constable who was absconding, was tracked down and arrested.