Mother of 9 arrested for axing husband to death in sleep

Khargone: A 35-year-old woman with nine children was arrested on Monday for allegedly killing her husband with an axe while he was asleep in Khargone district of Madhya Pradesh. Police said she acted out of fear of abandonment and frustration over alleged extramarital affair and frequent drunken assaults.Bhikangaon Sub-Divisional Officer of Police (SDOP) Ketan Adlak told TOI the accused, Roomli Bai Dudwe, was arrested for the murder of her husband, Ida Dudwe, 50, in Bazar Khodra Chidiya village under Chainpur police station limits. She was produced before a court which remanded her to judicial custody.The couple has nine children, aged between two-and-a-half and 16 years, which includes three sons and six daughters. Following the father’s death and the mother’s arrest, all nine children have been temporarily handed over to the deceased’s elder brother and maternal grandmother, Adlak said.The case came to light on July 10 when the deceased’s brother, Bhuru Dudwe, informed police that an unidentified person had murdered Ida during the previous night.During investigation, police found the couple frequently quarrelled. On sustained questioning, Roomli Bai allegedly confessed.SDOP said, “She told police her husband maintained a relationship with another woman despite having nine children. She feared he would abandon her and the children and marry the other woman. The disputes often turned violent, with Ida allegedly assaulting her after consuming alcohol.”Adlak said Roomli allegedly attacked her husband with an axe on the intervening night of July 9 and 10, striking him three times on the head, resulting in his death on the spot.Initially, Roomli had claimed an unidentified intruder killed her husband.“During interrogation, Roomli told police she had concealed the truth because she feared her husband’s family would kill her if they came to know that she was responsible for his death,” the SDOP said.