Gurgaon: Two days after a woman was brought dead to a hospital — initially suspected to be a case of cardiac arrest — a murder case has been registered against her husband. The accused allegedly confessed to strangling her following a domestic dispute fuelled by financial stress.Mamta Devi, a resident of Saraswati Enclave in Sector 37, was taken to a private hospital on Saturday night in suspicious circumstances by her husband, Harigopal Sharma, 46. He told doctors that she had suffered a heart attack. Medical staff, however, grew suspicious about the strangulation marks on her neck and alerted the police.A team from Sector 10A police station reached the hospital and initiated a preliminary enquiry. The body was subsequently sent for autopsy, and inquest proceedings under Section 194 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) were initiated.However, the direction of the investigation changed after Sharma gave inconsistent statements, which raised further suspicion. An officer said he initially claimed that he stepped out around 5.30 pm on May 2 and found his wife resting when he returned. “He told us that she later became unconscious, following which he rushed her to the hospital, where she was declared dead,” the officer said.Cops said sustained interrogation, coupled with forensic inputs, led to a breakthrough in the case. Sharma eventually confessed to killing his wife, after which he was arrested on Tuesday.Police said Sharma works at a private company in Manesar and was at home for nearly a month after sustaining rib injuries in an accident. During this period, the family was facing financial difficulties, which led to frequent arguments between the couple.“During one such altercation, which erupted on Saturday, he strangled his wife using a dupatta,” the officer said, adding that the act appeared to be impulsive but fatal. “It was revealed that the accused is a habitual drinker and has not been doing any job for the past month. He repeatedly demanded money from his wife for liquor. When his wife, fed up with the harassment, refused to give money, the accused carried out the act.”
