'Was concerned about leaving her depressed': Pune real estate agent plans suicide, smothers wife instead; arrested

PUNE: The Khadki police on Wednesday arrested a 56-year-old real estate agent for allegedly smothering his wife (53) at their apartment in the Chikhalwadi locality of Khadki around 11pm on Tuesday.

According to deputy commissioner of police (zone IV) Chilumula Rajnikanth, the accused had first considered taking his own life before deciding to kill his wife, but did not go through with the suicide attempt.


"He later called the police control room around 8.30am on Wednesday to report the murder," Rajnikanth said.

The Khadki police later registered a suo motu case of murder against the real estate agent.

"It was the second marriage for both individuals. They had married in 2011 and did not have children. The accused told police that his wife had been struggling with depression over their childlessness. He was also facing significant financial difficulties, with business losses leaving him in debt of over Rs 4 crore. Distressed by these issues, he had contemplated suicide but was concerned about leaving behind his depressed wife, so he decided to kill her first," the DCP said.

"The real estate agent also suspected that his wife was meeting her former husband, and he was unhappy over it. On Tuesday night, the two had an argument, and after she had fallen asleep, he picked up a pillow and smothered her," he added.