Man kills wife with tawa in Najafgarh

A 48-year-old man, jobless for the last two months and under stress, killed his wife by repeatedly hitting her with a ‘tawa’ following a domestic quarrel over a minor issue at their home in the Najafgarh area here.

Dinesh Patel, a resident of Gopal Nagar in southwest Delhi, later appeared before the duty officer at the Baba Haridas Nagar police station on Sunday morning and informed police that he had killed his wife, Sarita Patel (43), police said.

“A police team rushed to the house and found Sarita lying dead. They immediately secured the area, and FSL and the crime unit teams inspected the spot and collected evidence,” said the police officer.

During the preliminary enquiry, Dinesh told police that he had been undergoing treatment for schizophrenia at Delhi’s Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital for the past two to three years.  Police said they are verifying his medical records as part of the investigation.

Police also learned that Dinesh had been unemployed for the last two months after losing his job at an IT company. According to police, he appeared stressed due to his financial situation and frequently argued with his wife over domestic issues.

“The couple married in 2005 and have two sons. Their elder son is preparing for engineering entrance examinations, while the younger one is a class V student. The children were in the house at the time of the incident, and investigators will record their statements,” police said.

According to the accused, he argued with his wife on Saturday night over a minor issue. During questioning, he told police that in a fit of rage he picked up a tawa (a large, flat or slightly curved metal cooking pan), repeatedly struck her, causing fatal injuries and surrendered on Sunday.

Dinesh had been employed with an IT company but had reportedly been unemployed for the past two months.

Investigators said Dinesh was allegedly distressed over his family’s current circumstances and frequently argued with his wife over minor issues.

During interrogation, he allegedly disclosed that he had another argument with Sarita on Saturday night and, in a fit of anger, struck her on the head with a tawa, resulting in her death.” Prima Facie, we suspect that he murdered her around 1-2 am, stayed in the house with the body and then approached the police station around 8 am. His sons were at their maternal grandmother’s house when he attacked his wife,” a senior police officer said.

Police said the accused’s in-laws also reside in Gopal Nagar in Najafgarh, and have been informed about the incident. Police said an FIR has been registered and investigation is underway.