Washim man held for axing sleeping wife to death in Malegaon taluka

A shocking incident took place in Jaulka village in Malegaon taluka of Washim district in the early hours of Sunday. The husband is accused of killing his sleeping wife by striking her on the neck with an axe. The incident has caused great alarm in the village and the surrounding area.

The deceased has been identified as Sharda Dinesh Jondhale, 35. The accused is her husband, Dinesh Jondhale, 39. He had left the house after the incident, but Jaulka police traced him and arrested him in Malegaon town.

According to information from the police, Dinesh Jondhale is an addict. He suspected his wife's character and would regularly quarrel with her over it. The suspicion led to frequent fights between the two, police said.

Around 4 am to 5 am on Sunday, the couple were asleep in their house. At that time Dinesh is alleged to have struck Sharda on the neck with an axe. She died on the spot. The accused then fled from the house.

The couple have two married daughters and a 15-year-old son. On the night of the incident, the son and one daughter had gone to sleep in the separate house of their grandparents, which stands in front of the family home. In the morning, as their parents had not yet woken up, the daughter went to the house to check on them.

The door of the house was open. When the daughter went in, she found her mother lying dead in a pool of blood. Her father was not in the house. The killing came to light only then.

On receiving information about the incident, station house officer Ganesh Hiwarkar, head constable Ratan Bawaskar and police personnel Amol Patil, Vinod Damodar and Salim Shaikh began an investigation. The team searched for the absconding accused and arrested him in Malegaon town.

The police have arrested the accused husband and further investigation is under way. Grief has been expressed in Jaulka and the surrounding area over the incident.