A West Bengal native has been taken into custody for allegedly murdering his wife and burying her body near their house at Ayarkunnam in Kottayam, the police said on Sunday.
The accused has been identified as Soni SK (31), a native of Dharapara in Murshidabad district of West Bengal.
He was working as a construction labourer in Ayarkunnam and was taken into custody from a railway station in Ernakulam while allegedly attempting to flee to his hometown.
Soni is accused of murdering his wife, Alpana Khathoon (28), also of Murshidabad, and burying her near an under-construction house at Ayarkunnam, where the couple worked.
According to the police, Soni had lodged a missing persons complaint on October 17, claiming that his wife had gone missing three days earlier.
In his statement, Soni said Khathoon had accompanied him to the market to buy groceries around 8 am on October 14, but was not at home when he returned from work around 6.30 pm.
The police grew suspicious as he reported the incident only after three days.
CCTV footage from the area did not show any trace of the woman, prompting further investigation. -- PTI