Man Convinces Family That Wife Died Of COVID-19 After Killing And Setting Her Body Ablaze

A man in India has allegedly killed his wife during an argument, set her body ablaze and lied to her family that she succumbed to COVID-19.

The charred body of the 27-year-old victim was found stuffed inside a suitcase near a hospital in the southern state of Andhra Pradesh on Friday, India Today reported. The body was charred beyond recognition and forensics teams could only conclude that it belonged to a woman nearing her 30s.

As part of the investigation, the police checked the CCTV footage around the hospital and caught a taxi driver who had helped the accused dump the body. Upon interrogating the driver, police identified the victim as Bhubaneshwari.

Investigation revealed that the victim’s husband, identified as Srikant Reddy, had lost his job and had become an alcoholic, which led to frequent fights between the couple.

During one such fight Thursday, the accused killed his wife in a fit of rage. He then put the corpse in a suitcase, hired a taxi, and dumped the suitcase near the hospital. A few hours later, the accused returned to the scene, poured petrol on the suitcase, and set it ablaze.

He then called up his wife’s family and told them that she had succumbed to COVID-19. He also told them that the hospital had cremated the body.

The accused remained on the run as of Monday and police said they have launched special teams to trace and nab him. Police said the couple has a three-month-old child, The News Minute reported.

It wasn’t clear if the taxi driver, who assisted the accused in disposing of the body, has been arrested and charged in connection with the incident.

Earlier this month, a woman in the southern Indian state of Kerala succumbed to burn injuries after her live-in partner set her ablaze during an argument over a social media post. The victim used to frequently post videos on Instagram, something that the accused opposed. This led to frequent arguments between the two and during one such disagreement, the man poured kerosene over the victim and set her on fire with a lighter.