Man held for killing paramour after relationship turns sour

A 50-year-old man has been arrested for allegedly killing a woman with whom he was having an extra-marital affair in Akola district of Maharashtra, a police official said on Tuesday.

The accused, Anil Raghunath Wankhede, told the police that he killed Chhaya Dilip Gawai (45), who was already married, after their relationship turned sour following her demand for a share in his property, he said.

Gawai's body was recovered from her house in Vyala village on Saturday after the police broke open its door following complaints from her relatives of foul smell emanating from there, police inspector Gajanan Shelke said.

The police were initially puzzled as there was no injury mark on the body and the postmortem report also did not clearly state the reason of death, he said.

Later, the police quizzed some family members of the deceased and based on leads provided by them, they zeroed-in on Wankhede, who was also married but having an affair with the woman, he said.

The official said during questioning, Wankhede admitted that he offered a poison-laced lemonade to Gawai at her house on June 13 and then left.

The woman, who was alone in her house, died some time after consuming the lemon drink, he said.

The accused claimed that the woman was asking for a share in his house which led to a dispute between them and he decided to kill her, Shelke said.

Based on the probe, Wankhede was arrested late Monday night and booked under various Indian Penal Code sections, including 302 (murder), the official said, adding that further probe was underway in the case.