KARACHI: A judicial magistrate has indicted a man for murdering his wife in a Lyari area.

Police booked and arrested Anand Kumar for strangling his wife Kanti Kumari in their Baghdadi house in June 2020.

On Monday, the matter came up before the additional district and sessions judge (south) for framing of charge against the accused, who was produced in custody from prison.

The judge read out the charges to the accused. However, he pleaded not guilty and opted to contest the case.

The judge summoned the witnesses of the prosecution on March 4 for recording their testimonies against the accused.

According to the prosecution, the accused and Kanti married on their free will and they had a six-month-old baby girl. The accused on June 5, 2020 phoned the victim’s brother and informed that his sister had committed suicide.

It said he had buried the body without conducting a post-mortem examination. The body was later exhumed on the orders of a court for a post-mortem examination that proved that she was strangulated to death.

The prosecution added that the accused had earlier also attempted to suffocate her to death by putting a pillow on her face in the past, but she survived.

A case was registered against the accused under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code at the Baghdadi police station.

Published in Dawn, February 24th, 2022