The Kurar police have arrested a 38-year-old man for allegedly hacking his wife to death in their residence in the early hours of Thursday. The accused, Dinesh More, suspected his wife of having an affair with his friend, which led to the murder.

Mr. More used to stay with his wife Maya and their three daughters, all of them under 10 years, at Janu Bhoi Nagar in Kurar. Mr. More was employed as a security guard at a housing society in Malad and would often work late night or early morning shifts.

“Around 2 a.m. on Thursday, Mr. More came home after finishing his shift and an argument erupted between him and Maya. He had for some time been suspecting her of infidelity and was also getting increasingly uncomfortable with what he perceived to be her growing familiarity with one of his friends. These points came up in the argument,” an officer with the Kurar police said.

The officer said in the heat of the moment, Mr. More grabbed a sickle from the kitchen and hacked Maya several times. The sound of her cries woke up their daughters, who were sleeping in another room. But by the time they came out Mr. More had fled. His eldest daughter raised an alarm and the police were informed. Maya was rushed to Shatabdi Hospital in Kandivali, where she was declared dead before admission.

Meanwhile, three police teams fanned out in the area and one of them apprehended Mr. More as he was about to flee the locality. He was arrested and charged with murder under the Indian Penal Code. “Mr. More was produced in court in the afternoon, and has been remanded in police custody. We have recovered the murder weapon from his house and are interrogating him,” the officer said.