MP: Man kills wife after she refuses to make tea; arrested

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A domestic dispute over a cup of tea turned fatal in MP's Narsinghpur district after a man allegedly slit his wife’s throat with a sharp-edged weapon when she refused to make tea, police said on Saturday.

According to a report by The Times of India, the accused, who had been absconding since the December 9 murder, was arrested after an intensive search.

According to police, the incident took place at the couple’s home under the Kotwali police station limits. The crime came to light when a friend of the victim’s son lodged a complaint after 45-year-old Lata Soni was found dead in an upstairs room with severe neck injuries.

A murder case was initially registered against an unknown person, but investigations soon identified her husband, Manoj Soni, as the prime suspect, who had fled after the incident.

Kotwali police station in-charge Gaurav Chate told TOI that Manoj had asked his wife to prepare tea, which she refused, escalating tensions as the couple had frequent disputes. Manoj, an asthma patient who reportedly took his medicine with tea, allegedly attacked Lata while she was asleep. During questioning, he is said to have confessed.

As per the report, police also recovered the knife used in the crime and the clothes he wore at the time from his hideout. The accused has been produced in court and sent to jail.