Rourkela: Chhend police arrested a 45-year-old man on Wednesday for allegedly beating his wife to death in Rourkela’s Bidyut Basti earlier this month. The accused, Sonu Thakur, had been on the run since March 8 when he allegedly killed his wife Kiran Thakur (35) following a domestic dispute. According to police, Sonu, who works as a civil contractor’s assistant, attacked his wife with a stick, causing critical injuries.
Though he initially took her to Rourkela Government Hospital (RGH), Sonu fled the premises after learning of her death, abandoning her body at the morgue. He reportedly escaped to his native place in Jharkhand with their two minor sons, aged 5 years and 30 months.
The victim’s mother, Muni Tirkey, filed a murder complaint against Sonu at the Chhend police station on March 9 after discovering her daughter’s death. Following directions from Rourkela SP Nitesh Wadhwani, a police team was dispatched to Jharkhand but it returned empty-handed. “We have arrested the accused for killing his wife,” said sub-inspector Priyanka Sahoo of Chhend police station. The murder weapon has been seized from the accused.
The arrest came after police received a tip-off about Sonu’s return to his residence in Bidyut Basti. He was apprehended during a raid on Wednesday night and is currently in police custody.