Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 19 (IANS) A migrant worker from West Bengal has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife and secretly burying her body near an under-construction house in the Elappani area of Kottayam.

The accused, Soni S. K. (31), was taken into custody by the Ayarkunnam police from Ernakulam South railway station on Sunday while he was attempting to flee. The victim was identified as Alpana Khatun (28), also from Murshidabad, West Bengal.

According to the police, the murder was driven by suspicions of infidelity. The couple had been living with their two children in a rented house at Amayannur, Ayarkunnam, for the past two years. Soni, a construction worker, reportedly suspected Alpana of being in a relationship with another migrant labourer from their native place, identified as Prakash.

Despite repeated quarrels and objections, Alpana allegedly continued to stay in contact with him, even having briefly left her family to live with Prakash before returning home. On October 14, Soni allegedly took Alpana to a construction site at Elappani around 6.15 a.m., where he had previously worked. Around 7.30 a.m., a heated argument broke out, during which Soni allegedly assaulted Alpana, smashed her head against a stone structure, strangled her, and bludgeoned her with a rod, killing her instantly. He then dug a pit behind the house, buried her body, and covered it with soil in an attempt to destroy evidence.

Three days later, on October 17, Soni filed a missing person complaint, claiming Alpana had gone to the market and failed to return. However, CCTV footage showing the couple walking towards the construction site on the morning of the incident contradicted his statement, arousing police suspicion.

When police surveillance intensified, Soni went missing with his children on October 18. A mobile phone trace led investigators to Ernakulam South railway station, where a police team led by Sub-Inspector Saju T. Lukose arrested him.

Following interrogation, Soni confessed to the crime, leading to the recovery of Alpana’s buried body from the site. After the inquest, the remains were sent to Kottayam Medical College Hospital for postmortem examination.

The couple’s two children have been placed in a government care home. Soni has been charged under Sections 103(1) and 101 (murder), and 238(a) (destruction of evidence) of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

–IANS

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