'We'll get you a new mother': Retired railway employee slits wife’s throat, surrenders

A retired railway loco pilot is accused of murdering his wife, Pooja Devi, in Bihar's Munger district.

JAMALPUR: “Your mother is dead, we’ll get you a new mother,” a 55-year-old retired railway loco pilot allegedly told his two young daughters after slitting his 28-year-old wife’s throat at their rented home in Bihar’s Munger district late Wednesday night.The accused later took the girls, aged eight and five, to the local police station and surrendered.The victim, identified as Pooja Devi, was found dead inside a locked room at the couple’s residence near Sadar Bazaar in Jamalpur town, under Adarsh Jamalpur police station limits. Police recovered the suspected murder weapon from the spot and sent the body for post-mortem examination.According to preliminary investigations, the accused allegedly locked the two children in a separate room before attacking his wife.

After the murder, he locked the room containing her body, covered it with a sheet and took the children to the police station, where he surrendered.Police suspect the murder was triggered by the accused’s suspicion that Pooja was involved in an extramarital relationship. Investigators, however, said all possible angles were being examined.Meanwhile, Pooja’s family alleged that she had faced domestic harassment and dowry-related torture for several years.

Her brother, Shubham, said the family was informed by police late Wednesday night about the murder and the accused’s surrender.“We spoke to Pooja just two days ago, but she did not mention any serious problem,” Shubham said. He alleged that the accused and some of his relatives had been harassing and assaulting her for nearly five years. He also claimed that the accused frequently questioned her character because of the age difference between the couple.

Pooja, a resident of Ishakchak in Bhagalpur, married the accused in 2015. The couple had been living in a rented house near Sadar Bazaar with their two daughters.

Jamalpur SHO Pankaj Kumar said police were investigating the motive and circumstances behind the crime. The accused has been arrested, and further legal action will be taken after completion of the necessary procedures and registration of an FIR based on the family’s complaint.