Delhi: Jobless man kills wife with tawa after argument, then confesses at police station

NEW DELHI: A 48-year-old man allegedly walked into a police station in southwest Delhi on Sunday morning and confessed to killing his wife with a tawa after a late-night argument at their home in Najafgarh. The accused, who told police he has been undergoing treatment for schizophrenia has been detained and booked for murder. According to police, Dinesh Patel, a resident of Gopal Nagar in Najafgarh, arrived at Baba Haridass Nagar police station during the morning hours and informed the duty officer that he had killed his 43-year-old wife, Sarita, at their residence around midnight. During preliminary questioning, Dinesh told investigators that he has been suffering from schizophrenia and has been receiving treatment at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for the past two to three years. “We are verifying this fact by collecting all necessary medical documents from the accused. We are also in the process of checking whether he was off medications,” a police officer said. Police said further inquiry revealed that the couple had been married since 2005 and have two sons. Sarita was employed at a private company. Their elder son is preparing for engineering entrance examinations, while their younger son is a Class 5 student. Dinesh had been employed with an IT company but had reportedly been unemployed for the past two months. Investigators said Dinesh was allegedly distressed over his family’s current circumstances and frequently argued with his wife over minor issues. During interrogation, he allegedly disclosed that he had another argument with Sarita on Saturday night and, in a fit of anger, struck her on the head with a tawa, resulting in her death. “Prima Facie, we suspect that he murdered her around 1-2am, stayed in the house with the body and then approached the police station around 8am. His sons were at their maternal grandmother’s house when he attacked his wife,” a senior police officer said. Police also learnt that Sarita’s family lives in the same locality in Gopal Nagar, Najafgarh. Following the confession, a police team rushed to the couple’s residence, where Sarita’s body was found. The spot was inspected by forensic experts and the crime team, which collected evidence as part of the investigation. The accused has been detained, and a case has been registered under Section 103(murder) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita at Baba Haridass Nagar Police Station. Police said further investigation is underway to establish the sequence of events leading to the killing and to ascertain all the circumstances surrounding the incident. [Image text:] S CRI-CICAGOMOTS G