Arunachal Man Gets Life Term for Killing Wife Over Infidelity Suspicion

Itanagar: A district court in Arunachal Pradesh has sentenced a man to life imprisonment for the murder of his wife in 2018, holding him guilty of killing her on suspicion of having an extramarital relationship.

In an order passed on December 17 and made available on Saturday, sessions judge Dr Hirendra Kashyap sentenced Karsang Tania to rigorous life imprisonment after convicting him of murder.

According to the court record, Tania was found guilty on November 13 for killing his wife on the night of March 31, 2018. The couple had been married since 2003 and were living at Sanglo Putung in Itanagar with their minor son.

The prosecution said a heated argument broke out between the couple, during which Tania picked up an axe and struck his wife on the head. He later dumped her body along a stream at some distance from their house.

The body was later noticed by local residents after neighbours reported a foul smell in the area, police said.

The court noted that medical evidence confirmed the death was homicidal and caused by skull fractures resulting from blunt-force trauma.

During police interrogation, Tania confessed to the crime and later repeated the confession before a magistrate.

The court relied on the judicial confession recorded under Section 164 of the CrPC, observing that it was voluntary and supported by medical and circumstantial evidence.

Rejecting the defence plea of private defence, the court said the nature of the injuries and the conduct of the accused after the incident pointed to criminal intent. The order noted that Tania buried the body, misled family members by claiming his wife was missing, and absconded to forest areas and prayer centres.

While sentencing, the court took note of the absence of prior criminal antecedents and declined the prosecution’s plea for the death penalty.

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