Man held from Malegaon hours after wife is axed to death in sleep in Washim's Jaulka

A woman was killed with an axe at Jaulka in Washim district, and her husband stands accused of the crime. Police arrested the absconding suspect from Malegaon town within a few hours.

According to the information available, the accused husband is Dinesh Jondhale and the deceased wife is Sharada Jondhale. Dinesh is said to have been addicted to alcohol and often quarrelled with his wife, doubting her character. The incident took place on Saturday night and in the early hours of Sunday.

The couple had gone to sleep in a room of their house on Saturday night. It is alleged that between about 4 am and 5 am, Dinesh took an axe from the house and struck the sleeping Sharada several blows on the neck. The blows were so forceful that Sharada died on the spot. The accused then fled the scene.

The couple have three children. Two daughters are married, while their 15-year-old son is studying. Dinesh's elderly parents live separately in a small house opposite. On the night of the incident, the son and a daughter had gone to sleep in that house.

When the parents did not get up as usual in the morning, the daughter went to the main house to check on them. She called out from outside but got no reply from within. She then pushed the door, which was unlatched. Inside, she found her mother lying dead in a pool of blood, and her father was nowhere in the house. The daughter screamed, and panic spread through the neighbourhood.

On receiving the news, Jaulka police station thanedar Ganesh Hivarkar, havildar Ratan Bavaskar and staff members Amol Patil, Vinod Damodar and Salim Sheikh rushed to the spot. Police conducted the inquest panchnama on the body and began a search for the absconding accused.

Based on technical investigation and a tip-off from a secret informer, police traced Dinesh Jondhale within a few hours. He was taken into custody in Malegaon town. A case of murder was registered against him and he was arrested. Jaulka police are investigating the case further.