RAWALPINDI, Nov 14: A man attempted suicide after strangulating his wife at his home in Dhoke Chaudhrian in the Airport police area on Wednesday.

Police believe prior to the strangulation, there was a row between the couple which originally hailed from Abbottabad and had married 45 days ago before settling at Dhoke Chaudhrian.The police suspect that Hamid Hussain, who worked at a hotel as waiter, strangled his wife, Sameera Bibi (19), with a rope and later attempted suicide by cutting himself with a sharp edge blade.

Inspector Malik Rafaqat, who is leading the murder/suicide case, revealed that the killer lay half-fainted in a pool of blood near his dead wife when the police arrived at the crime scene after getting information that a woman had been murdered.

He said: “After visiting the crime scene, it is suspected that there was a quarrel between the couple before going to bed last night, and again on Wednesday morning during which the husband choked his wife to death.”

He added that a piece of rope, believed to be used by the killer, was recovered from the crime scene.

Inspector Rafaqat quoted the family of the deceased woman as saying that “since Hamid Hussain got married with Sameera Bibi, relations between the couple started worsening as the husband suspected his wife of having illicit relations with someone else and used to torture her.”

Sameera Bibi used to complain to her parents about her husband’s violent behaviour, but they took it lightly.

When the elder sister of Hamid Hussain was contacted by Dawn outside the District Headquarters Hospital’s mortuary, she said: “She (the victim) was my brother’s wife living in a separate house in Dhoke Chaudhrian. I really do not know what happened with the couple.”

The husband, who had been taken into custody by the police, was shifted to Benazir Bhutto Hospital (BBH) where he is stated to be in critical condition.  His statement is yet to be recorded as he has still not regained consciousness.

Preliminary postmortem report suggests that the wife was strangulated. However, it is yet to be determined whether she was pregnant or not.

The Airport police have registered a murder case against the husband on the complaint of Sameera Bibi’s brother, Mohammad Asif, who worked with her husband.

The names of the victim and accused have been changed to hide their identities.