Reported by Bit Irom
Imphal: Manipur Police arrested a 39-year-old woman in connection with the alleged murder of her husband at a hotel located along Tiddim Road near Moirang Lamkhai, Loktak Lake, in Bishnupur district.
The accused, Pukhram Ongbi Mayanglambam Ningol Bem (alias Manitombi Devi), wife of the late Pukhram Premkumar from Moirang Khoiru Leikai Ward No. 10, was apprehended on the night of May 30.
According to police, the incident occurred during a verbal altercation. During the dispute, her husband allegedly grabbed her hand and slapped her in the presence of the hotel owner.
As the argument escalated, the accused picked up a knife and threatened to stab herself. The report states that when her husband attempted to snatch the knife away, she stabbed him.
She fled the scene immediately. P. Premkumar was rushed to the Community Health Centre, Moirang, but succumbed to his injuries shortly thereafter.
A team from Moirang Police Station later apprehended her and recovered the weapon used in the crime.
During the preliminary examination, the accused reportedly admitted to the charges levelled against her, according to the Assistant Public Prosecutor (APP).
She stated that she had been working at the hotel for the past three months, earning a daily wage of Rs 200 to Rs 300, while her husband worked as a mason.
The couple frequently quarrelled over financial hardships.
The accused detailed that on May 30, at around 5 pm, she was at work when her husband and two of his co-workers arrived to consume local liquor. They left the premises at around 6 pm.
Around 7 pm, her husband called her, asking her to return home because there were a few customers and their son had not eaten. She replied that two customers were still present and that she would leave once they departed.
At approximately 7:10 pm, the couple engaged in a heated argument on the roadside near the hotel, which continued into the hotel kitchen.
The APP submitted that judicial custody was necessary for a proper investigation and to establish a prima facie case against the accused.
After hearing the submissions of the prosecution and examining the case records, the Court of the Chief Judicial Magistrate, Bishnupur, remanded the accused to judicial custody until June 17.