Kochi: Police arrested a man who murdered his wife, over suspicion of her having an affair, and tried to make it look like a suicide at Chottannikara here on Wednesday night. The accused – Panakkattu Shaiju (37) of Eruvely – was taken into custody by an investigation team led by Rural SP Vaibhav Saxena and Puthencruz DySP T B Vijayan.

As per reports, around 10.30 pm on Christmas day, Shaiju took his wife Shari (37) to the hospital with the help of his friends, to whom he said she fell unconscious. The murder came to light after the doctor, who confirmed her death, became suspicious and informed the police. Shaiju later told the cops that Shari tried to hang herself in the house. Based on the information received, police inspected the house. Inconsistencies in Shaiju's statements led to a detailed interrogation, during which he confessed to the crime.

Shari was a friend of Shaiju's ex-wife. The duo got close and had been living in their house in Eruvely for 13 years. They got married five years ago. According to police, Shaiju suspected that Shari was in a relationship with someone else, which led him to commit the crime.