Bengaluru police have arrested a 30-year-old woman and her alleged lover for the murder of her husband. The accused, Sukhita, a garment factory worker, was married to 35-year-old Umashankar ten years ago. Sukhita was allegedly in an affair with her neighbour, Srinivas, a school van driver for the past two years.

On February 25 last year, Umashankar had reportedly caught Sukhita and Srinivas in a ‘compromising position’ following which the duo strangulated Umashankar. Sukhita then allegedly tried to make it appear as though her husband had died due to excess alcohol consumption.

Umashankar’s uncle was suspicious of his death and informed the police. The police sent the body for post-mortem, the reports of which returned recently and confirmed foul play. The forensic science laboratory (FSL) report confirmed that Umashankar had died due to asphyxiation, though the examination of his body by police did not reveal any marks.

Over a year after the crime, the police sarrested Sukhita and Srinivas on Monday.

“Assuming that the two had escaped from being accused, Srinivas boldly came home to be with Sukhita. After the pathology report indicated their involvement, we questioned Sukhita and during the interrogation she confessed to killing her husband after he caught her and Srinivas in a compromising position,” an officer investigating the case was reported to have said.

Umashankar worked as a construction labourer. The couple had two children, a 13-year-old daughter and an 11-year-old son.

While the police had earlier registered a case of unnatural death, it was changed to a case of murder under section 302 (punishment for murder) of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Sukhita and Srinivas have been remanded to judicial custody.