NEW DELHI: A man in India’s southern state of Tamil Nadu killed his estranged wife inside a women’s hostel and then took a selfie with her dead body, Indian media reported citing police statement.
Indian broadcaster NDTV reported that the victim, identified as Sripriya, worked at a private firm in Coimbatore and had been living separately from her husband, Balamurugan, from Tirunelveli.
Police said the suspect arrived at the hostel on Sunday afternoon with a sickle hidden in his clothes. He asked to meet his wife.
Soon after the couple began talking, an argument erupted. It escalated quickly. Police said Balamurugan pulled out the sickle and hacked the woman to death.
Residents of the hostel panicked after hearing the attack.
Selfie posted on WhatsApp Status
Police said the suspect then took a selfie with her body and uploaded it to his WhatsApp status, accusing her of “betrayal”.
The shocking post spread rapidly, causing outrage and disbelief.
The suspect did not flee. Instead, he waited at the scene until police arrived. Officers arrested him and recovered the murder weapon.
Initial findings suggest that he suspected his wife of being in a relationship with another man.
Violence against women in India
Crimes against women remain a major concern in India. Rights groups, researchers and official data point to persistent violence in homes, workplaces and public spaces.
India ranks 128 out of 177 countries on the Women, Peace and Security Index 2023 issued by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security.
The latest data from India’s National Crime Records Bureau (NCRB) shows a 12.9% increase in the rate of reported crimes against women between 2018 and 2022. The figure rose from 58.8 cases per 100,000 women in 2018 to 66.4 in 2022.
Researchers note that the increase may reflect several factors, including a rise in actual crimes, better reporting systems and growing public willingness to report abuse.
