Merchant Navy officer in Lucknow held for wife's murder; tried to pass it off as suicide

Lucknow, Aug 6 (PTI) A Merchant Navy officer in Lucknow has been arrested for allegedly murdering his wife and attempting to portray it as a suicide, police said on Wednesday.

Anurag Singh (31), a resident of Omaxe Waterscapes apartments under the Sushant Golf City Police Station, was arrested based on a complaint filed by his father-in-law, Fateh Bahadur Singh, a resident of Lucknow's Indiranagar, DCP (Lucknow South) Nipun Agarwal said.

According to the police, the complaint was lodged on August 5, in which Fateh Bahadur Singh alleged that his daughter Madhu Singh was being harassed by her husband Anurag to abort her pregnancy.

When she refused, Anurag allegedly murdered her on Sunday and hung the body with a fan inside their apartment in a bid to portray it as a suicide. The family also alleged dowry-related harassment. The couple had got married in February, they said.

An FIR was registered under BNS sections for murder, cruelty by husband, and under provisions of the Dowry Prohibition Act.

During interrogation, Anurag allegedly confessed that there were frequent quarrels between him and Madhu over her pregnancy, and after another argument on the night of August 3, he strangled her to death and later tried to make it look like a suicide, DCP Agarwal said.

The police said Anurag is currently employed as a Merchant Navy officer. He was produced before a magistrate following his arrest and sent to judicial custody. PTI KIS NB NB