Man Bludgeons Wife To Death For Denying Sex, Neighbors Find Crying Toddler Beside Body

A man in India bludgeoned his wife to death in front of their toddler son after she refused to have sex with him.

The accused, identified as 33-year-old Shaan Khan, lived with his third wife, 29-year-old Aarifa Khan, and their 2-year-old son in an apartment in Thane, a district in the western state of Maharashtra. On Saturday night, Aarifa refused to have sex with Shaan, following which he accused her of having an affair, Free Press Journal reported.

The next afternoon, he hit her multiple times in the head with a marble kitchen utensil and banged her head on the door several times, killing her on the spot. He then fled the scene, local daily the Times of India reported.

"The two-year-old son was continuously crying for over an hour. Neighbors heard the cry and opened the door to see a dead Aarifa on the ground beside her son," a police officer said, Free Press Journal reported.

The neighbors immediately alerted the police, who rushed to the apartment and pronounced her dead.

A manhunt was immediately launched for the accused, who was traced and taken into custody Tuesday. The police said the accused was arrested right before he was about to catch a train for Uttar Pradesh, a northern Indian state, the Times of India reported.

Shaan appeared in court and was ordered to remain in police custody till May 13.

The body of the woman was handed over to the family members following an autopsy. The police said the toddler is in the care of the victim’s cousin.

Last month, a man in the southern Indian state of Karnataka beat his pregnant wife, young children, and mother to death in a drunken state. The man first started beating his wife and his two children, aged 4 and 2, with an iron rod. When his 60-year-old mother attempted to save them, he started attacking her too. Neighbors rushed to the home and attempted to restrain the man, who eventually escaped. All the victims were taken to the hospital where they were pronounced dead on arrival. A manhunt was launched for the accused, who remained on the run at the time.