Woman forgets to switch off lights, husband ‘kills’ her

Police said the custody of the four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son has been given to Lippi’s mother, who had arrived in Mumbai from Bengal following the incident. (Representational Image)

A 26-YEAR-OLD man has been arrested for allegedly strangulating his wife to death in front of their two children, aged four and two, at their Sewri residence. The accused has been identified as Bilal Shaikh.  Police said the incident took place at around 1 am on Saturday, when deceased Lippi Shaikh forgot to switch off the lights before going to sleep. An angry Bilal allegedly assaulted her, eventually choking her to death. “The duo started fighting over the light… following which the accused started abusing her. Later, as she too abused him, he started assaulting her. He then banged her head on the floor and choked her to death,” Sewri police Inspector Sudhir Nagwe said.

The accused, with the help of local residents, rushed the Lippi to JJ Hospital, where she was declared brought dead on arrival. “The hospital informed the police. Preliminary investigation stated that Bilal had killed her. The medical report revealed that she died from asyphixia, smothering and throttling with head injury. So, we registered a case and arrested Bilal,” said Nagwe.

Bilal, booked under Section 302 (murder) of the IPC, was produced in court on Saturday and remanded in police custody. A plumber by profession, Bilal hails from West Bengal and has been staying in Mumbai for a decade, said police. “The accused had been assaulting his wife frequently over petty issues… every time they fought, he would raise his hand. We have learnt that the victim continued with the marriage, as she didn’t want the children to get affected,” said an officer.

Police said the custody of the four-year-old daughter and two-year-old son has been given to Lippi’s mother, who had arrived in Mumbai from Bengal following the incident.