Man held for shooting his wife dead over marital dispute in Uttarakhand

A 30-year-old man was arrested for allegedly shooting his wife dead following a marital dispute in the Clement Town area of Uttarakhand, police said on Thursday.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Dehradun Pramendra Dobhal said police received information through the 112 control room on Monday that a woman had been shot. “The victim, Kajal (26), was found dead with gunshot wounds to her head and abdomen at her Subhash Nagar residence,” Dobhal said.

Dobhal said the husband, Dheeraj Panwar alias Lallu, allegedly fled after the incident and switched off his mobile phone. On a complaint by Kajal’s brother, police registered an FIR under the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).

Dobhal said a joint team from the Clement Town police and the Special Operations Group arrested Panwar in the Clement Town area on Wednesday. He said a .315-bore country-made pistol, a live cartridge and the blood-stained shirt worn during the crime were recovered at his instance.

“During interrogation, Panwar told police that he was married to Kajal for around 12 years and they had two children. He claimed marital discord had intensified over the past year and that his wife was planning to divorce him,” he said.

The SSP said the husband bought a pistol from Saharanpur and hid it near the house in Dehradun. He fired two shots at Kajal while she was asleep.