PALAKKAD: Police have taken a youth into custody in connection with the incident in which his wife was found dead at his house. The deceased is Wadakkanchery Karapotta native Negha Subrahmanyan (25), who was found dead in her bedroom at her husband's residence in Thonippadam, Alathur. The Alathur Police, who registered a case of unnatural death, took Negha's husband, Pradeep, into custody after her relatives alleged foul play in her death.

The post-mortem report later confirmed that Negha had died by hanging. The couple had been married for six years. The incident occurred around 12:30 a.m. According to Pradeep’s statement to the police, he and Negha went to bed with their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter. He said he woke up to the sound of the child crying and found Negha lying on the floor, with a rope nearby. He called her parents and rushed her to a private hospital in Alathur, where she was declared dead. Hospital authorities then informed the police.

Suspicion deepened after Negha’s family noticed marks on her neck. Negha was the daughter of Subrahmanyan, a retired soldier, and Jayanti, from Karapotta Kunnumpully in Kannambra. Pradeep, formerly an expatriate, is currently employed at a shoe store in Coimbatore. Negha’s relatives alleged that Pradeep used to physically assault her during his weekly visits home.

After the post-mortem at Thrissur Medical College, Negha’s body was handed over to her family and cremated at her native place in Karapotta, Wadakkanchery. She is survived by her two sisters, Rekha and Megha.

Family alleges murder

Negha’s family strongly believes she was murdered. Her mother, Jayanti, claimed that Negha had been abused by Pradeep in the past and that her daughter would never commit suicide. “She called me around 10:30 p.m. the night before. We don’t know what happened after that. It was Pradeep who called us late at night, saying she had collapsed,” said Jayanti. The family has demanded a thorough investigation and pledged to pursue legal action against Pradeep.