Mumbai: Man arrested from Assam for allegedly murdering his partner over suspicion

Malvani Police arrests man for allegedly killing his wife (Pic/Special arrangement)

The Malvani Police have arrested a 29-year-old man from Assam for allegedly murdering his partner and fleeing the city after the crime.

The accused, identified as Mohammad Shamsuddin Abdul Matin (29), was arrested from Assam's Bhojai district in connection with the murder of Salima Khatun (33).

According to the police investigation, Shamsuddin, a native of Assam, and Salima, originally from Kolkata, became friends through social media and later entered into a relationship. The couple had been living together in a rented house in New Collector Compound, Malvani, for the past one-and-a-half years.

The police said the accused allegedly suspected that Salima was involved in a relationship with another man and was cheating on him. The issue reportedly led to frequent quarrels between the couple.

On May 19, during one such argument, Shamsuddin allegedly attacked Salima with a knife and slit her throat before fleeing the scene, the police said.

Accused remained on the run for several days

The murder remained undetected for several days as the victim's sister was unable to contact her. Repeated phone calls went unanswered as Salima's mobile phone had been switched off. Meanwhile, neighbours complained of a foul smell emanating from the rented house.

Acting on the complaints, Malvani Police reached the spot and opened the house, where they found Salima's semi-decomposed body. The body was sent for post-mortem examination, which confirmed that she had been murdered.

The body was discovered three days after the crime. Based on a complaint lodged by the victim's sister, Malvani Police registered a murder case and launched an investigation.

Using technical surveillance and intelligence inputs, investigators traced the accused to Assam and arrested him on Tuesday before bringing him to Mumbai.

During interrogation, Shamsuddin allegedly confessed that his suspicion about Salima's alleged affair had triggered the fatal attack.

Further investigation revealed that the accused worked as a mason. He was produced before a local court after being brought to Mumbai, which remanded him to police custody until June 6.