Kozhikode: A 56-year-old woman was hacked to death, allegedly by her husband, at Poyilkkavu near Koyilandy in Kozhikode district on Saturday morning. 

The woman, Sudha, was a resident of Parakkal Thazham in Poyilkkavu. Her husband, Kuttikrishnan (61), is absconding, and the police have launched a search to trace him.

According to the police, Sudha was found dead with a deep cut wound on her neck. Her body was discovered around 8 am inside a makeshift shelter where she had been staying with her husband while the construction of their new house was underway nearby.

The body was first noticed by workers engaged in the Employment Guarantee Scheme programme, who had arrived at the property to take photographs of the plot. They alerted local residents and the police after finding Sudha lying motionless inside the shelter.

Police said preliminary investigations suggested that Kuttikrishnan fled the area after the incident. Neighbours told investigators that the couple had been living in the temporary shelter for the past few months and frequently quarrelled. According to them, disputes often arose when Kuttikrishnan returned home drunk.

The couple's two daughters were married, while their son was employed outside the district.

Police and forensic experts conducted a detailed examination at the crime scene. A police dog squad was also deployed and tracked a scent trail leading towards a nearby road. As part of efforts to trace the suspect, the police have alerted bus operators and railway authorities.