Thiruvananthapuram, Oct 19 (NationPress) A migrant worker originally from West Bengal has been apprehended for the suspected murder of his wife, whose body he allegedly buried clandestinely near an under-construction site in the Elappani locality of Kottayam.

The suspect, identified as Soni S. K. (31), was captured by the Ayarkunnam police at the Ernakulam South railway station on Sunday while attempting to escape. The deceased has been named as Alpana Khatun (28), also hailing from Murshidabad, West Bengal.

Authorities revealed that the motive behind the murder stemmed from suspicions of infidelity. The couple had been residing with their two children in a rented accommodation at Amayannur, Ayarkunnam, for the last two years. Soni, employed as a construction worker, reportedly harbored doubts about Alpana’s fidelity, believing she was involved with another migrant laborer from their home region, identified as Prakash.

Despite ongoing conflicts and Soni's objections, Alpana allegedly maintained contact with Prakash, even briefly leaving her family to stay with him before returning home. On the morning of October 14, Soni purportedly took Alpana to a construction site in Elappani around 6:15 a.m., where he had previously worked. A violent dispute erupted around 7:30 a.m., during which Soni allegedly assaulted Alpana, striking her head against a stone structure, strangling her, and bludgeoning her with a rod, resulting in her immediate death. He then excavated a grave behind the house, buried her remains, and concealed the site with soil to eliminate evidence.

Three days later, on October 17, Soni lodged a missing person report, claiming Alpana had gone to the market and had not returned. However, CCTV footage revealing the couple's direction towards the construction site on the morning of the incident raised suspicions about his account.

As police surveillance intensified, Soni vanished with his children on October 18. A trace of his mobile phone led investigators to the Ernakulam South railway station, where a police team, led by Sub-Inspector Saju T. Lukose, apprehended him.

Following his interrogation, Soni confessed to the crime, which led to the recovery of Alpana’s buried body from the construction site. After an inquest, the remains were sent to Kottayam Medical College Hospital for a postmortem examination.

The couple’s two children have been placed under the care of a government facility. Soni faces charges under Sections 103(1) and 101 (murder), as well as 238(a) (destruction of evidence) according to the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS).